The aim of this study was evaluate the effect of the vertical and the horizontal orientation of the explant in the culture medium, in the in vitro multiplication, for the apple rootstock cv. Marubakaido. The culture medium used was the MS with N reduced to ¾ of the original concentration, myo-inositol (100mg.L-1), sucrose (40g.L-1) and agar (6g.L-1), suplemented with BAP (4.44mM) and PPM TM (0.2ml.L-1). Stem segments with two buds and the apex excised were used as explants. After the inoculation, the flasks with the explants were incubated at 16 hour of photoperiod, 25±2ºC temperature, with irradiation of 25µmoles.m-2.s-1. The number of shoots and buds, the rate of multiplication and the height of the larger shoot were evaluated after 40 days of cultivation. The highests shoot number, number of buds and the largest rate of multiplication were obtaineds with the explant in the horizontal orientation in the culture medium. There were not significant difference with vertical and horizontal orientation of the explant in the culture medium for the height of the larger shoot.
micropropagation; tissue culture; Malus prunifolia
