Parrotia persica (DC.) C.A. Mey is an ornamental tree native to the Hyrcanian forests in northern Iran. It displays stunning, colorful leaves in autumn and mosaic cream-grey trunks that exfoliate in winter. Because traditional horticulture methods have limited success in propagating Persian ironwood, using plant biotechnology tools to conserve and develop this endangered species is essential. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to optimize the micropropagation process of this plant. The excised shoot segments with one axillary or apical bud were dipped into 70% ethanol for 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, or 150 s, followed by disinfecting the explants in sodium hypochlorite at different concentrations (0, 0.5, 0.75, or 1%) for 10, 15, or 20 min. Moreover, the disinfecting effect of silver nanoparticles at0, 100, 200, or 400 mg L-1 was also examined. The established shoots were cultured on MS or WPM media containing Benzyl adenine (BA) (0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1 mg L-1), Thidiazuron (TDZ) (0, 0.022, 0.044, 0.088, 0.176 or 0.352 mg L-1) or combinations of BA (0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 or 1 mg L-1) with 0.01 mg L-1 Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) were used for shoot proliferation. Rooting was studied using treatments of IBA (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mg L-1) or Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mg L-1). The best explant sterilization procedure, with the highest survival rate (p < 0.05), used 70% ethanol (120 s), 0.75% sodium hypochlorite (20 min), and 200 mg L-1 silver nanoparticles (90 min). The WPM medium supplemented with 0.088 mg L-1 TDZ produced the highest mean shoot number (3.85; p < 0.05). Using either 1 mg L-1 IBA or 0.5 mg L-1 NAA produced the best rooting performance. Finally, the rooted plantlets were moved to greenhouse conditions and successfully acclimatized in pots containing vermiculite:perlite (1v:1v), with a 100% survival rate. This study's achievements can pave the way for future restoration plans and breeding programs for P. persica. |
