STARCH AND SODIUM HIPOCHLORITE ON IN VITRO ROOTING OF PINEAPPLE ‘GOLD’ AND ITS EFFECTS ON ACCLIMATIZATION

This study aimed to evaluate the total or partial replacement of agar by corn starch and cassava starch and physical sterilization in autoclave for chemical sterilization with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) in development of pineapple ‘Gold’ plantlets. The gelling agents used were: M1: agar (6.0 g L-1); M2: corn starch (60.0 g L-1); M3: agar (3.0 g L-1) + corn starch (30.0 g L-1) and M4: agar (3.0 g L-1) + cassava starch (30.0 g L-1). The sterilizations were made by autoclaving at 121°C or by using the solutions of NaClO at the concentrations of 0,003% to rinse the glassware and 0,0003% for addition to the culture medium. After one month of in vitro cultivation, it was observed no negative influence of NaClO and gelling agents in the rooting in vitro of shoots for most parameters evaluated. The plantlets derived from in vitro phase were taken to acclimatization in greenhouse for 90 days. During the acclimatization, the plantlets derived from treatments with chemical sterilization did not differ from the ones derived of autoclaved media to any parameter evaluated, whereas the combination agar + corn starch provided inferior results among gelling agents.