Physiological Changes During the Initiation of In Vitro Cultures of Saffron Intercalary Meristems for Micropropagation, Changes in Some Components of the Antioxidant Enzymatic System and the Levels of Endogenous Growth Regulators

Abstract

[eng] Saffron is one of the most important spices for which an effective clonal micropropagation protocol has not yet been fully developed. In this work, the physiological changes involved in the adaptation of explants to in vitro conditions were studied and the subsequent development of micropropagated cultures could offer practical information on important aspects necessary for quality control of the initial stages of saffron micropropagation. Both the physiological changes during the initiation of in vitro cultures of saffron intercalary meristems and the changes in some components of the antioxidant enzyme system and the levels of endogenous growth regulators were evaluated.