159

1. Introduction

Dracaena sanderiana Sander ex Mast. (Lucky bom-
boo) belongs to the family Agavaceae. It is distributed in 
tropical and subtropical open lands of Africa and India. 
Despite its medicinal and ornamental importance, not 
much work has been undertaken with regard to its in vitro 
propagation; conventional vegetative propagation is the 
most prevalent method (Junaid et al., 2008). Vegetatively 
propagated plants accumulate several bacterial, fungal, vi-
ral, and mycoplasma diseases however the in vitro condi-
tion can overcome these problems and offers rapid vegeta-
tive multiplication of plants (Predieri, 2001; Muthusamy 
et al., 2007).

Usually this plant is propagated by means of seeds or 
cuttings however micropropagation is a proposed tech-
nique to produce healthy plants. To cover the needs for 
such plants, it is necessary to study the different factors 
affecting productivity of the explants to standardize the 
technique used for enhancing the multiplication of this 
important plant for indoor and outdoor uses.

Paek et al. (1985) found that Cordyline terminalis 
Electra and Scindapsus aureum Marble Queen shoot tips 
were successfully multiplied on a solid MS medium sup-
plemented with Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at 1.0 mg l-1, 
Kinetin at 3.0 mg l-1 and adenine sulphate at 100 mg l-1 and 
Na

2
H

2
PO

4
.H

2
O at 150 mg l-1. Atta-Alla et al. (1996) stated 

that the highest rate of shoot proliferation in Dracaena 
marginata Lam. ‘Tricolor’ was achieved on MS medium 
supplemented with BA at 4.0 mg l-1 plus NAA at 0.05 mg 
l-1. Furthermore, Tian-Lang et al. (1999) reported that us-
ing MS medium supplemented with BA (3-3.5 mg l-1) and 
NAA (0.02 mg l-1) was suitable for multiplication of D. 
sanderiana cv. Virescens. El-Sawy et al. (2000) produced 
the largest number of shoots per explant on MS medium 
supplemented with BA at 4.0 mg l-1. Kobza and Vachunova 
(1989) reported that MS medium enriched with BA and 
IAA or BA and NAA was the best. Stem explants of D. 
deremensis Warneckii ‘Lemon Lime’ with a dormant bud 
provided the most suitable propagation material. Leffring 
et al. (1985) found that, as both growth regulators (IAA 
and ABA) increased over a few month culture period, the 
downward movement of IAA resulted in basal callus for-
mation of Cordyline cultivars and prevented shoot devel-
opment as it antagonized the effects of Kinetin in the cul-
ture medium. Kobza and Vachunova (1991) found that MS 
medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 Kinetin and 0.8 mg 

Factors affecting in vitro propagation of 
Dracaena sanderiana Sander ex Mast. cultivars.

I. Sterilization, explant browning, and shoot 
proliferation

F. Kakuei, H. Salehi(*)

Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Key words: Dracaena, growth regulators, proliferation rate, propagation, sterilization.

Abstract: Dracaena sanderiana Sander ex Mast. (lucky bomboo) is an ornamental plant belonging to the family Agava-
ceae. The factors affecting sterilization, explant browning, and shoot proliferation of two cultivars Green and Variegated 
of D. sanderiana were studied. Micropropagation of D. sanderiana is very important because of the limitations in its con-
ventional propagation by classical vegetative propagation methods which give rise to several bacterial, fungal, viral and 
mycoplasma diseases. The in vitro condition can overcome these problems. Half-strength Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) 
media supplemented with different concentrations of 6- benzyl-amino-purine (BA mg l-1) and naphthalene acetic acid 
(NAA) (0.25 and 0.5 mg l-1) were used for shoot proliferation and plant regeneration studies. The effect of explant posi-
tioning on the culture media, whether horizontal or vertical, was also assessed on proliferation and growth of shoots pro-
duced. Explants of the ‘Green’ cultivar, cultured horizontally on media, were successful in yielding proliferated shoots. 
The highest mean value (4.8) was recorded on the medium supplemented with 2 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA. Explants 
of the ‘Variegated’ cultivar, cultured horizontally on media, were also successful in yielding proliferated shoots. The high-
est mean value (3.66) was recorded on the medium supplemented with 2 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA. 

Adv. Hort. Sci., 2015 29(4): 159-164

(*) Corresponding author: hsalehi@shirazu.ac.it

Received for publication 10 April 2015
Accepted for publication 22 June 2015



160

Adv. Hort. Sci., 2015 29(4): 159-164

l-1 IAA was the best medium for D. concina Kunth shoot 
production.

The objective of the present investigation was to 
study different aspects of micropropagation of D. sand-
eriana (lucky bomboo) and factors affecting its steriliza-
tion, browning decrease in explants, and proliferation of 
shoots to propose a commercial protocol for propagating 
this plant. 

2. Materials and Methods

This experiment was carried out at the Tissue Culture 
and Biotechnology Lab, Department of Horticultural Sci-
ence, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University.

Sterilization stage and effects of antioxidants
Numerous shoot explants of D. sanderiana (both cul-

tivars) measuring 3-4 cm long were removed from the 
mother plants and placed in a weak detergent solution 
(about 0.2%) for 20 min. To prevent the formation of 
polyphenols and the occurrence of browning, the explants 
were exposed to citric acid and ascorbic acid at 50 and 100 
mg l-1, respectively, and an integrated combination, for 30 
min. They were then washed with running tap water for 20 
min, followed by surface sterilization with 70% ethanol 
for 3 min plus 10% or 15% Clorox (a commercial bleach, 
containing 5.25% sodium hypochlorite) with 3-5 drops of 
Tween-20 for 10, 15, and 20 min. They were then rinsed 
three times with sterilized distilled water.

Culture media
Murashige and Skoog’s (1962) (MS) medium was used 

for the establishment stage supplemented with 30 g l-1 su-
crose and 8 g l-1 agar. The pH was adjusted to 5.8 before 
the addition of agar, then 40 ml of the culture medium were 
poured into 40 ml culture jars and autoclaved at 121ºC at 
a pressure of 1.5 kg cm-2 for 20 min using the following 
media: full strength MS medium and 1/2 strength MS 
medium. All the chemicals were purchased from Sigma-
Aldrich authorized distributer, Kimia Gostar Pooyesh Co., 
Ltd., Tehran, Iran.

Shoot proliferation and plant regeneration
Half strengths MS media supplemented with different 

concentrations of BA (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg l-1) and NAA 
(0.25 and 0.5 mg l-1) were used for shoot proliferation and 
plant regeneration of both Dracaena cultivars. Also, the 
effect of the direction of explant positioning on media was 
studied to evaluate the proliferation and growth rate of the 
produced shoots.

Data recording and analysis
All the main experiments were conducted in a com-

pletely randomized design with eight replicates; the exper-
iments were repeated at least two times. Data were statisti-
cally analyzed and the means were calculated using SPSS 

(version 15) software whereby means were compared us-
ing LSD test at 5% level.

3. Results and Discussion

Sterilization stage
Results indicated that the use of Clorox significantly 

affected explant contamination (Table 1). Increasing Clo-
rox concentration increased the decontaminated explants 
in D. sanderiana. The highest mean value of explant de-
contamination (0%) was obtained when applying 15% (v 
v-1) of Clorox for 20 min.

An optimum value of healthy explants, free of contami-
nation, could be obtained by using Clorox at 15%, whereas 
the higher concentration had a negative effect on this char-
acteristic. Our results are consistent with those obtained by 
Kunisaki (1975) on Cordylin terminalis (L.) Kunth, Chua 
et al. (1981) on D. marginata Link, Sagawa and Kunisaki 
(1990) on Dracaena sp., and Badawy et al. (2005) on D. 
fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl. cv. ‘Massangeana’.

Effects of antioxidants
Antioxidants were used to reduce browning in explants. 

After placing the explants in a weak detergent solution 
(about 0.2%), they were placed in a solution containing the 
concentrations of 0, 50 and 100 mg l-1 ascorbic acid and 
citric acid separately and in combination for at least 30 min.

The data presented in Table 2 clearly show that both 
antioxidants significantly prevented browning in cultured 
explants of D. sanderiana. The highest mean of explants 
saved from browning was recorded when 100 mg l-1 of both 
ascorbic acid and citric acid were mixed and used in com-
bined form. The highest browning frequency and intensity 
belonged to the control. The use of 100 mg l-1 ascorbic 
acid, significantly reduced the browning of explants com-
pared with utilization of the same amount of citric acid. 
In a study conducted by Huang et al. (2002) it was ob-
served that PPO (polyphenol oxidase) enzyme activity re-

Table 1 -   Effect of different concentrations of Clorox on surface steril-
ization of explants of Dracaena sanderiana Sander ex Mast.

Clorox concentrations (%)
Time
(min)

Contamination 
(%) 

Control (0) 0 100.00 a (z)

10 43.75 b

10 15 37.50 bc

20 18.75 bcd

10 18.75bcd

15 15 6.25 cd

20 0.00 d
(z)  Means followed by the same letter(s) are not significantly different 

using LSD test at 5% level.



161

Kakuei and Salehi, Factors affecting in vitro propagation of Dracaena sanderiana. I

mains stable at pH 10 and strongly acts against browning; 
the use of ascorbic acid was to prevent the occurrence of 
browning. Elmore et al. (1990) also used ascorbic acid as 
an antioxidant and anti-browning substance in the culture 
medium for plant cells, tissues, and organs.

Shoot proliferation rate in horizontal and vertical ex-
plants: Green cultivar 

Table 3 shows the difference between the proliferation rate 
of horizontal and vertical explants of D. sanderiana ‘Green’ 
after 60 days of deployment following treatment with con-
centrations of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg l-1 BA, and 0.25 and 0.5 mg 
l-1 NAA. According to the results, the direction of explant po-
sitioning in the culture medium, either horizontal or vertical, 
had significant effects on successful establishment and pro-

liferation rates. The highest mean value (4.8) was recorded 
when using 2 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA. Generally, 
explants showed a good response to this BA concentration 
to the extent that some cultures produced up to 10 shoots. 
However, regardless of growth regulator concentration, pro-
liferation failed to occur on vertical explants (Table 3, Fig. 1).

The highest average length of shoots in horizontally 
cultured explants of ‘Green’ was observed when BA and 
NAA were utilized at concentrations of 1 mg l-1 and 0.5 mg 
l-1, respectively. This resulted in the production of shoots 
measuring 3.25 cm long. Furthermore, shoots were suc-
cessfully produced measuring 3.05 cm long when BA and 
NAA were used at 3 mg l-1 and 0.5 mg l-1, respectively. 
The greatest average length of shoots achieved in verti-
cally cultured explants of ‘Green’ was 4.12 cm when 2 mg 
l-1 BA and 0.5 mg l-1 NAA were used (Table 4).

Table 2 -  Effect of different antioxidants on browning rate of Dracaena 
sanderiana Sander ex Mast.

Antioxidants concentrations (mg l-1) Browning (z)

Control (0) 8.60 a (y)

As50 5.20 bc

Ci50 5.80 b

As100 3.80 cd

Ci100 5.20 bc

As50+Ci50 3.60 d

As100+Ci100 2.20 e

(z)  10 the highest rate of browning and 1 the lowest rate of browning.
(y)  Means followed by the same letter(s) are not significantly different 

using LSD test at 5% level.
As= Ascorbic acid; Ci= Citric acid.

Table 3 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on the proliferation 
rate of ‘Green’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Average number of shoots

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 1.00 c (z) 1.00 c 1.00 B

1 0.25 1.20 bc 1.00 c 1.11 B

0.50 1.40 bc 1.00 c 1.22 B

2 0.25 4.80 a 1.00 c 3.11 A

0.50 1.60 bc 1.00 c 1.33 B

3 0.25 2.20 b 1.00 c 1.66 B

0.50 1.60 bc 1.00 c 1.33 B

4 0.25 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

0.50 1.40 bc 1.00 c 1.22 B

5 0.25 1.20 bc 1.00 c 1.11 B

0.50 1.60 bc 1.00 c 1.33 B

Mean 1.72 A 1.00 B

(z)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 
capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.

Table 4 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on the length of 
shoots in ‘Green’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Average length of shoots (cm)

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 2.40 b (z) 1.88 b 2.16 AB

1 0.25 1.95 b 2.30 ab 1.91 B

0.50 3.25 ab 2.62 b 2.40 AB

2 0.25 2.30 b 2.25 b 2.80 AB

0.50 2.35 b 4.12 a 3.14 A

3 0.25 2.96 ab 2.88 ab 2.92 AB

0.50 3.05 ab 2.00 b 2.27 AB

4 0.25 2.70 b 2.12 b 2.40 AB

0.50 2.70 b 3.00 ab 2.83 AB

5 0.25 2.50 b 2.25 b 2.7 AB

0.50 2.40 b 2.62 b 2.50 AB

Mean 2.59 A 2.51 A

(z)   Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 
capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.

Fig. 1 -  Rate of shoot proliferation in Dracaena ‘Green’ cultured horizon-
tally on 1/2 MS medium with mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA- 40 
days after culture (left) and 60 days after culture (right).



162

Adv. Hort. Sci., 2015 29(4): 159-164

Average leaf number in horizontally cultured explants 
of ‘Green’ showed no significant difference in any of the 
treatments used, but in vertically cultured explants the 
greatest number of leaves (5.75) was obtained with 2 mg 
l-1 BA and 0.5 mg l-1 NAA (Table 5).

With increasing concentration of growth regulators, 
deformity was observed in most of the shoots produced. 
Shoots created from horizontally cultured explants of 
‘Green’, at a concentration of 4 mg l-1 BA, showed the 
greatest deformity and deviated from their natural state. 
The least deformity was observed in the control and 2 mg 
l-1 BA treatments. The level of deformity in shoots ob-
tained from vertically cultured explants of ‘Green’ was 
also higher at 5 mg l-1 BA. Deformity was not detected 
at low growth regulator concentrations and in the control 
explants (Table 6).

Shoot proliferation rate in horizontal and vertical ex-
plants: variegated cultivar

Table 7 shows the difference between the proliferation 
rate of horizontally and vertically cultured explants of D. 
sanderiana ‘Variegated’ after 60 days of deployment with 
the concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg l-1 BA, and 0.25 
and 0.5 mg l-1 NAA. According to the results, the direction 
of explant position in culture medium had a significant ef-
fect on proliferation rate: horizontally cultured explants 
showed a greater shoot proliferation rate. The highest 
mean value (3.66) was recorded when using 2 mg l-1 BA 
and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA (Table 7, Fig. 2).

When explants were treated with 1 mg l-1 BA and 0.5 
mg l-1 NAA, the average length of shoots in vertically cul-
tured explants of ‘Variegated’ measured 3.00 cm more 
than other treatments.

The average length of shoots in vertically cultured ex-
plants of ‘Variegated’ was the highest with 2 mg l-1 BA and 
0.5 mg l-1 NAA. The average length was 2.83 cm (Table 8).

Five leaves were obtained on average with the use of 
1 mg l-1 BA and 0.5 mg l-1 NAA. This average was higher 

Table 5 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on the average leaf 
number in ‘Green’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Average number of leaves (cm)

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 3.80 b (z) 4.00 b 3.88 AB

1 0.25 3.70 b 4.75 ab 4.16 AB

0.50 4.30 ab 3.50 b 3.94 AB

2 0.25 4.45 a 4.25 ab 5.02 A

0.50 3.90 b 5.75 a 4.05 AB

3 0.25 4.46 ab 4.75 ab 4.60 AB

0.50 4.30 ab 3.25 b 3.83 AB

4 0.25 4.00 b 3.50 b 3.77 B

0.50 4.50 ab 3.75 b 4.16 AB

5 0.25 4.20 b 4.00 b 4.11 AB

0.50 3.80 b 4.25 ab 4.00 AB

Mean 4.12 A 4.15 A

(z)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 
capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.

Table 6 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on deformity in ‘Green’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Deformity (z)

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 0 g (y) 0 g 0 E

1 0.25 1.00 d-g 0 g 0.55 DE

0.50 1.00d-g 0.50 fg 0.77 DE

2 0.25 1.20 d-g 0.75efg 1.00 CD

0.50 0.80 efg 0.62 fg 0.72 DE

3 0.25 1.60 def 1.50 def 1.55 C

0.50 3.00 abc 1.87cde 2.50 B

4 0.25 2.20 bcd 2.75abc 2.40 B

0.50 3.70 a 3.40 a 3.61 A

5 0.25 3.20 ab 3.50 a 3.33 A

0.50 3.50 a 3.50 a 3.50 A

Mean 1.96 A 1.67 B

(z)  5= Highest deformity and 1= Lowest deformity.
(y)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 

capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.

Table 7 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on the shoot prolif-
eration rate in ‘Variegated’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Average number of shoots 

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 1.00 c (z) 1.00 c 1.00 B

1 0.25 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

0.50 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

2 0.25 3.66 a 1.00 c 2.33 A

0.50 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

3 0.25 2.00 b 1.00 c 1.5 AB

0.50 2.00 b 1.00 c 1.5 AB

4 0.25 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

0.50 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

5 0.25 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

0.50 1.00 c 1.00 c 1.00 B

Mean 1.42 A 1.00 B

(z)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 
capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.



163

Kakuei and Salehi, Factors affecting in vitro propagation of Dracaena sanderiana. I

than other treatments. The average leaf number in verti-
cally cultured explants of ‘Variegated’ was 5.66 when 3 
mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA were used (Table 9).

With increasing concentration of growth regulators, 
deformity was observed in most shoots produced. Shoots 
created from horizontally cultured explants of ‘Variegat-
ed’, resulting from 5 mg l-1 BA with 0.25 and 0.5 mg l-1 
NAA, showed the greatest deformity and were deviated 
from their natural state. Deformity in shoots obtained from 
vertical explants of ‘Variegated’ was also higher at con-
centrations of 5 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 or 0.5 mg l-1 NAA; de-
formity was absent in low growth regulator concentrations 
and in control explants (Table 10).

Successful growth of explants under controlled condi-
tions is a function of the proper combination of nutrients, 
especially compounds controlling growth. Because of the 
small size of the explants used, synthesis and production 
of these compounds is greatly needed for organ growth 
and development. Therefore, in order to achieve maximum 
growth rate, it is necessary to use plant hormones in appro-

Table 8 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on the length of 
shoots in ‘Variegated’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Average lenght of shoots (cm) 

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 1.00 f (z) 1.33 def 1.16 CD

1 0.25 1.00 f 1.00 f 1.00 D

0.50 3.00 a 1.33 def 2.16 AB

2 0.25 1.50 c-f 2.16 a-e 1.83 A-D

0.50 2.33 a-d 2.83 ab 2.58 A

3 0.25 1.63 c-f 2.33 a-d 1.98 AB

0.50 2.00 a-f 1.33 def 1.66 BCD

4 0.25 1.16 ef 2.00 a-f 1.58 BCD

0.50 1.83 b-f 1.16 ef 1.50 BCD

5 0.25 1.33 def 1.66 c-f 1.50 BCD

0.50 1.16 ef 2.50 abc 1.83 A-D

Mean 1.63 A 1.70 A

(z)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 
capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.

Fig. 2 -  Rate of shoot proliferation in Dracaena ‘Variegated’ cultured 
horizontally on 1/2 MS medium with 2 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg 
l-1 NAA- 55 days after culture (left) and on 1/2 MS medium with 
3 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA 70 days after culture (right).

Table 9 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on the average leaf 
number in ‘Variegated’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Average number of leaves 

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 3.25 c (z) 3.00 c 3.12 B

1 0.25 3.66 bc 3.00 c 3.33 B

0.50 5.00 ab 3.00 c 4.00 AB

2 0.25 3.25 c 3.50 bc 3.45 AB

0.50 3.00 c 3.66 bc 3.33 B

3 0.25 3.41 bc 5.66 a 4.53A

0.50 3.66 bc 3.00 c 3.33 B

4 0.25 3.33 bc 3.50 bc 3.50 AB

0.50 3.33 bc 3.00 c 3.16 B

5 0.25 3.33 bc 3.00 bc 3.33 B

0.50 3.66 bc 4.00 bc 3.83 AB

Mean 3.53 A 3.42 A  

(z)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 
capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level.

Table 10 -  The interaction effect of different concentrations of BA and 
NAA, and exposure position of explants on deformity in 
‘Variegated’

Treatments (mg l-1)
Deformity (z)

MeanExposure position of explant

BA NAA Horizontal Vertical

0 0 0 e (Y) 0 e 0.00 E

1 0.25 0.33 de 1.00 cde 0.66 DE

0.50 1.00 cde 1.25 cd 1.16 CD

2 0.25 1.33 cd 1.50 bc 1.41 BCD

0.50 1.33 cd 1.50 bc 1.41 BCD

3 0.25 1.40 cd 1.66 bc 1.53 BCD

0.50 1.33 cd 1.66 bc 1.50 BCD

4 0.25 2.00 bc 1.80 bc 1.90 BC

0.50 1.66 bc 2.50 abc 2.08 BC

5 0.25 3.33 a 3.25 a 3.29 A

0.50 3.40 a 3.66 a 3.53 A

Mean 1.52 B 1.90 A
(z) 5 Highest deformity and 1 Lowest deformity.
(Y)  Data followed by the same letter(s) (lower letters for interactions and 

capital letters for factor means) are not significantly different using 
LSD test at 5% level



164

Adv. Hort. Sci., 2015 29(4): 159-164

priate concentrations. Having this goal necessitates the use 
of different hormones responsible for growth stimulation 
(Hu and Wang, 1983). The increase in shoot proliferation 
rate is partly due to the increase in BA concentration. This 
can be interpreted through the rate of cytokinins role in 
stimulating cell division and growth of lateral buds. Fur-
thermore, shoot proliferation culture media that is rich in 
cytokinins often results in lateral buds that have been re-
leased from terminal bud dominance (Taji et al., 1997). 
Explants that were taken from young stems of D. sanderi-
ana, as compared to older explants, showed greater shoot 
production in the media used. The results of this experi-
ment were in agreement with those of Tian Lang et al. 
(1999) on D. sanderiana cv. Virescens. They found that 
the use of 3 to 3.5 mg l-1 BA with 0.02 mg l-1 NAA yields 
the highest shoot proliferation rate in this species. Atta-
Alla et al. (1996) and El-Sawy et al. (2000) on D. mar-
ginata cv. Tricolor showed the highest shoot proliferation 
rate on MS medium containing 4 mg l-1 BA and 0.05 mg 
l-1 NAA. Moreover, our results were more or less the same 
as those of Maheran et al. (1996) on D. fragrans ‘Massan-
geana’ and Ying et al. (2008) on D. cambodiana Pierre ex 
Gagnep.

4. Conclusions

Explants of the ‘Green’ cultivar, cultured horizontally 
on media, were successful in yielding proliferated shoots. 
The highest mean value (4.8) was recorded on the medium 
supplemented with 2 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 NAA. Ex-
plants of the ‘Variegated’ cultivar, cultured horizontally 
on media, were also successful in yielding proliferated 
shoots. The highest mean value (3.66) was recorded on the 
medium supplemented with 2 mg l-1 BA and 0.25 mg l-1 
NAA.

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