The Germination and Growth Responses of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Seeds in Various In Vitro Culture Media

M. Afdal Riansyah, Rini Sulistiani, Nazrul Hisham

Abstract


Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are an important horticultural crop with steadily increasing demand in Indonesia, yet their productivity often fluctuates. The availability of high-quality seeds, including those produced through in vitro propagation techniques, is a key factor in producing vigorous and uniform seedlings. The study employed a factorial Complete Randomized Design with two treatments. The aimed to compare the germination and early growth responses of two tomato varieties, MicroTom and MT3, on six different culture media: Full-MS, Half-MS, Full-MS+GA₃ 0.5 mg/L, Chu’s N6, Chu’s N6+GA₃ 0.5 mg/L, and Gamborg B5. The results showed that the culture medium had a significant effect on all parameters, while the variety had a significant effect only on the average germination time and shoot length. The Half-MS, Chu’s N6, and Gamborg B5 media yielded the highest germination rates (70–72%), while Full-MS produced the lowest rate (35%). MT3 exhibited a faster germination rate (6.91 days) and longer shoot length (34.41 mm) compared to MicroTom. The longest root length was observed in the MT3 grown on Half-MS (C2M2), and the longest shoot length was observed in the MT3 grown on Gamborg B5 (C2M6). GA₃ supplementation did not always enhance vigor or early growth. The interaction between variety and medium had a significant effect, particularly on root and shoot growth. This indicates that the effectiveness of the medium depends on the genotype used. Overall, Half-MS, Chu’s N6, and Gamborg B5 are recommended as optimal media for tomato germination and early growth, particularly for the MT3.

Keywords


Culture media, GA₃, seedlings, variety, vigor.

References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30596/agrium.v29i1.29097

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