In Vitro Production of Virus Free Plants in Citrus reticulate

Virus free plantlets were successfully produced using meristem tip as explants. Meristem dome with 2 leaf primordial (Size 100-200u) was cultured in modified MS liquid media (M19) containing 4 mg l-1 Thamine, 0.01mg l-1 Riboflavin and 0.01 mg. l-1 GA3 followed by semisolid media of same composition where 86% plant regeneration was noticed with in 28 days of culture. Sixty percent shoot tips culturing on MS modified media (MP3) containing 1.0 mg l-1 BAP, 0.5mg l-1 Kinetin, 0.5 mg l-1 NAA produced multiple shoots (6 shoots per explant) within 5 weeks of culture. Root initiation was achieved, when in vitro developed shoots were transferred to modified MS media (MP7) supplemented with 0.5 mg. l-1 NAA 0.5 mg l-1 IBA, 0.25 mg l-1 BAP with in 4 weeks of Culture. About 50% of in vitro developed plantlets were survivedi n soil and preliminary results of indexing showed the most of plantlets are free from CTV and exocortis Viruses