Propagation of Bursa Uludag?s endemic plants Arabis drabiformis Boiss., Aubrieta olympica Boiss. and Erodium sibthorpianum Boiss. subsp. sibthorpianum by plant tissue culture methods

In this work, It was aimed to identify the optimal culture conditions for propagation of Arabis drabiformis Boiss., Aubrieta olympica Boiss. and Erodium sibthorpianum Boiss. subsp. sibthorpianum which are in the list of relic endemic plant species, by using plant tissue culture techniques. Seeds of these plants were collected from their habitat in Uludağ Mountain, Bursa, at the proper season and used for laboratory experiments. Seedlings, obtained from in vitro germinated seeds, were used as explant sources in micropropagation studies. Murashige-Skoog (MS) and modified MS (ModMS) were used as culture media.The best explants for the multiple shoot formation was shoot apex for E. sibthorpianum species. Shoot regeneration from leaf explants was formed only in the MS media containing either 1 mg l-1 BAP or control medium. It was determined that percentages of shoot formation from shoot apex and hypocotyls explants in the control medium were 100 % and 76.33 %, respectively. On the other hand, the percentage of shoot regeneration from leaf explants was determined as 52 % in the MS medium supplemented with 1 mg l-1 BAP. ModMS medium containing combination of BAP and NAA was shown to be the most successful one for root regeneration. Shoots which developed roots were transferred to greenhouse, successfully. Plantlets showed 50 % vitality in the greenhouse and kept their vitality for 2 weeks.The highest number of shoots and the highest percentage of shoot formation were observed from the shoot apex and internode explants from A. drabiformis in the MS medium supplemented with 2 mg l-1 BAP. The efficiency of shoot formation was also relatively good when MS media was supplemented with 4 and 6 mg l-1 BAP. 0.5 mg l-1 IBA in the MS medium supported the best root regeneration. Shoots which developed roots were transferred to greenhouse, successfully. Plantlets showed 80 % vitality in the greenhouse and kept their vitality for 9 months.While the MS media containing 0.5 mg l-1 Ki and combination of 1 mg l-1 Ki and 0.3 mg l-1 IBA were the best suitable medium for getting the highest number of shoot regeneration from shoot apex explants of A. olympica, the MS medium with 0.5 mg l-1 Ki was the best suitable one for regenerating shoots from internodes. The best result for the root regeneration was recorded in the MS control medium which is not supplemented with any growth regulatory hormone. Shoots which developed roots were transferred to greenhouse. Plantlets showed 75 % vitality in the greenhouse and kept their vitality for 9 months.