Abstract
Ten cultivars of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) were screened by using leaf base explants and four media, for their capability of callus induction, embryogenic callus and plant regeneration. The results indicated that all in vitro culture traits were significantly influenced by the differences in cultivars and media. The two-way interaction was also highly significant. The percentage of explants that developed calli ranged from 78.3% ('Lia') to 58.6% ('Farida'). MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l of NAA + 0.5 mg/l of BAP (Medium B) and medium supplemented with 0.01 mg/l of NAA + 1.0 mg/l of BAP (Medium C) gave the highest average of callus induction. The cultivar Banyas produced the highest callus weight with medium A, B and C on the other hand, the cultivar Miledy produced the highest callus weight with medium D. The highest percentage of embryogenic callus resulted from 'Miledy' cultivar. The percentage of root formation ranged from 0.0% ('Miledy') to 40.0% ('White Liberty'). Results also showed that the cultivars Lia and White Liberty produced the highest mean values of shoot formation (15.5 and 13.8%, respectively) when calli differentiated on MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/l NAA and 1.0 mg/l BAP.