Micropropagation of Lavender: an important medicinal species

Resumo

Lavender (Lavandula dentata L. - Lamiaceae) has several medicinal applications, both in the fresh form and after industry processing. The increase in productivity could be obtained through the mass propagation, expanding the possibility of obtaining raw material for the production of essential oil. The objective of this work was to develop a micropropagation protocol from explants obtained from seeds. Aspects of in vitro germination, multiplication, elongation and rooting was evaluated and, in sequence, the acclimatization process as well. The in vitro germination of lavender can be obtained with the use of a medium composed of agar and water. For multiplication, the use of MS medium without growth regulators shows satisfactory results, however, the increase in multiplication is possible by adding 5µM of BAP to the nutrient medium because, despite inducing a certain degree of hyperhydricity, it still presents higher rates consistent with the mass propagation. For in vitro elongation and rooting, the use of growth regulators is not necessary. Acclimatization can be achieved directly by transferring the explant to plastic bags with substrate, kept in a greenhouse.