Garlic shoot tip culture associated with dry heat thermotherapy (cloves exposed to 37°C for 35 days) were essential for recovering virus free plants of the cv Amarante. In this condition 70% of the explants developed in vitro and produced plants. A total of 77% of those plants was virus free when indexed by ISEM, which resulted in a final index of 54% of virus free plants from treated cloves. The percentage of regeneration decreased to 20% as the temperature increased up to 40°C. However 90% of those plants were virus free, leading to a final index of 18% virus free plants out of treated cloves.
Allium sativum L.; regeneration; heat treatment
