PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Salvia sahendica and S. hypoleuca are two endemic Salvia species found in Iran and belongs to family Lamiaceae. The genus is important due to its decorative, aromatic and medicinal characters. Native seeds were sterilized and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. Germination results for both species showed Medium amendment with GA₃ reduced seed germination time with enhanced germination percentage compared to other treatments. In S. Sahendica’s nodal explants, the highest shoot length, number of leaves and internodes, fresh and dry weight were affected by medium enriched with 1 mg/L^-1 BA + 1 mg/L^-1 NAA. Root parameters were affected by medium enriched with 0.5 mg/L^-1 BA + 0.5 mg/L^-1 IAA. In another experiment, best response on callus induction for S. hypoleuca was observed on MS medium amended with 1 mg/L^-1 BA and 1 mg/L^-1 NAA using petiole and root explants. Petiole-derived calli showed a significantly higher frequency (59%) of plantlet regeneration. Root-derived calli induced only root, but petiole and leaf-derived calli induced shoots and roots on medium amended with PGRs. Plantlets were hardened-off and transferred to soil for further growth.