Effect of Antioxidants, Culture Conditions and Frequency of Subculture to Control Phenols during in vitro Culture of Phalaenopsis Hybrid Cultivar ORIANA

The present study was conducted to control phenols in the media during in vitro cultures using flower stalk explants of Phalaenopsis hybrid cultivar Oriana. MS medium + BAP (1.00 ppm) + NAA (0.50 ppm) + 3% sucrose (w/v) was used commonly for all the treatment. Results revealed that inclusion of 500 ppm citric acid in the media, rinsing the explants with citric acid 500 ppm for 20 minutes before inoculation, keeping culture in dark for 20 days and sub-culturing at 4, 6 and 8 days after inoculation were found to be significantly reducing the browning intensity (very low browning) in medium. The explants remained green even after 4th week of culture with significantly minimum percentage of blackening of cultures (10.00%), minimum percentage of dead cultures (20.00%) and maximum percentage of cultures survived (80.00%).Inclusion of 500 ppm citric acid in the media, rinsing of explant with citric acid 500 ppm for 20 minutes before inoculation, incubating the culture in dark for 20 days and subculturing at an interval of 4, 6, and 8 day after inoculation in case of flower stalk explants were observed to control phenols in the media during in vitro cultures of Phalaenopsis hybrid cultivar Oriana.