Preservation of the brazilian orchid Cattleya walkeriana Gardner using in vitro propagation
Ricardo Tadeu de Faria; Débora Cristina Santiago; Dennis Panayotes Saridakis; Ulisses Brigatto Albino and Ricardo Araújo
Cattleya walkeriana is found in different regions of Brazil growing on rocks or trees in areas near lakes, rivers and swamps. This orchid is appreciated by orchid lovers because of its beautiful flowers and is in risk of becoming extinct due to predatory collection and habitat destruction. Murashige and Shoog culture medium modified with half the concentration of macronutrients supplemented with 1, 2, 4 and 6 g/L activated charcoal was used for cultivation, having an overall pH 6.0. Five approximately 1.0 cm high C. walkeriana plantlets were inoculated in each flask. A randomized complete block design was used with 45 replications per treatment. Seven months after the start of the experiment the canopy and largest root length, number of roots and shoots and fresh matter weight of the plantlets were assessed. Cattleya walkeriana plantlet development increased with elevated activated charcoal concentration and with greater cultivation time. The results obtained in this experiment enabled us to conclude that the addition of 2 g/L activated charcoal to culture medium were beneficial for in vitro Cattleya walkeriana propagation.