Process of Establishment And In Vitro Development of Simaba Cedron Planch Seedlings. (Simaroubaceae)

Abstract

Simaba cedron, popularly known as "cedron", is largely used for fever and snake bites. Its seeds are used in the treatment of stomach problems and liver infections. The fruits are used for the treatment of pain and malaria while its bark is an antispasmodic. Simaba cedron is generally propagated through seeds, but with limited success, as the low viability of same restricts its propagation. In view of such difficulty, it becomes necessary the study for adequate conditions for the large scale production of these seedlings. Being it known that in several species, the use of micropropagation has made it possible to obtain a large amount of disease-free and more homogeneous seedlings, in reduced time and physical space, in comparison with conventional propagation methods, the objective of this work was to analyze the effect of two culture media on the production of aseptic parent plants as a first step in the development of a micropropagation protocol for Simaba cedron. The seeds were collected from a matrix plant located in the Amazon Biotechnology Center (CBA), in Manaus/AM. The experiment was installed at the Vegetable Tissue Culture Laboratory, where the  explants were desinfected and grown in culture medium  according to Murashige & Skoog (MS) and in Wood Plant Medium (WPM), during 60 days. The disinfestation rate obtained was 75% and, of the disinfested seeds, 100% germinated. The cultivation medium that was more favorable to the cultivation of simaba was the MS, where the multiplication rate was of 8.0: 1, whose seedlings reached, in average, 4.8 cm and 75% of rooting.