Date Received: 20-09-2017 / Date Accepted: 31-01-2018
Strawberry “SmiA” is a potential variety with outstanding features such as heart- shaped fruit, dainty little red berries with an ambrosial flavor of strawberry, rose, pineapple and honey. This study was carried out to establish in vitro micropropagationprotocol from in vitro germinated plants. The best shoot proliferation (7.8 shoots/explant) was obtained from explants grown on MS medium supplemented with 0.4 mg/l BA after 5 weeks. In vitro shoots were rooted on semi-solid MS medium with 0.25 mg/l α-NAA, maximum rooting rate (93.33%) with 12.36 roots/shoot and average length (1.49 cm) of roots was achieved after 4 weeks. The plantlets were successfully acclimated and well developed in soil substrate with a high survival rate. NPK fertilizer combined with Atonik solution was most appropriate for growth and development of in vitro SmiA plantlets with the average height of 19.13 cm after 1 month. Flowering was observed after 20 - 25 days of flower-bud formation, and masses of dainty, sweet tasting berries were produced after 30 - 35 days.
