Seed Germination of Cattleyaintermedia and Cattleyawarneri in Alternative culture Media among Second-Generation Chinese-American College Students
Luana Schneider, D.Sc. João Sebastião de Paula Araújo, D.Sc. Gilmar Roberto Zaffari

Abstract
In nature, germination rate of orchid seeds is very low, therefore asymbiotic germination is recommended for achieving greater number of seedlings. Composition of culture medium has great influence on performance of in vitro cultures and directly affects complexity of its preparation. The aim of this study is to evaluate germination and development of protocorms and seedlings obtained from seeds of Cattleyaintermedia and Cattleyawarneri in alternative culture media. Media tested were: Murashige and Skoog with half of macronutrients (½MS), Knudson C (KC), supplement for orchid B&G® (BG), supplement for orchid B&G® modified with two-thirds of salts (E) and commercial fertilizer Kristalon Orange® (KR). Seeds were sterilized, inoculated with the same volume of solution in flasks and kept in a controlled environment until assessment, which occurred 100 days after inoculation. Seed germination was assessed by the number of protocorms formed and their development through classification into two stages: protocorms and seedlings. For both species, it was found that culture media MS and E resulted in the highest amount of protocorms formed, whereas media KR and E provided the best development of protocorms thus resulting in greater conversion into seedlings. Furthermore, it was observed that in general the use of banana pulp is not beneficial for seed germination and protocorm formation of the evaluated orchid species. Additionally, results indicate that a favorable medium for germination does not deliver the same behavior for the development of seedlings.

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