Abstract
The damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) is an ornamental-medicinal plant from the Rosaceae family, and its aromatic compounds and essential oils are applied globally in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Due to its economic value, this research aimed to establish a protocol for an efficient, rapid, and cost-effective method for in vitro shoot multiplication and rooting of the R. damascena 'Kashan' and 'Hervy Azerbaijan' genotypes. Nodal segments (as primary explants) were cultured on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with combinations of various plant growth regulators (PGRs) such as gibberellic acid (GA(3)), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), as well as a PGR-like substance, phloroglucinol (PG), vitamins such as ascorbic acid (AA), and activated carbon in the form of active charcoal (AC). For the establishment stage, 0.1 mg·L(-1) PG, 0.2 mg·L(-1) GA(3), and 1 mg·L(-1) BAP were added to the media. Secondary explants (nodal segments containing axillary buds produced from primary explants) were obtained after 30 days of in vitro culture and transferred to the proliferation media supplemented with different concentrations of BAP (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 mg·L(-1)) and GA(3) (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1 mg·L(-1)) together with 0.1 mg·L(-1) PG and 20 mg·L(-1) of AA. The rooting media were augmented with different concentrations of BAP and GA(3) with 0.1 mg·L(-1) of IBA, PG and 20 mg·L(-1) of AA and AC. The results showed that the highest regeneration coefficient (4.29 and 4.28) and the largest number of leaves (23.33-24.33) were obtained in the explants grown on the medium supplemented with 2 mg·L(-1) BAP and 0.4 mg·L(-1) GA(3) for the 'Kashan' and 'Hervy Azerbaijan' genotypes, respectively. Likewise, this PGR combination provided the shortest time until bud break (approximately 6.5 days) and root emergence (approximately 10 days) in both genotypes. The highest number of shoots (4.78 per explant) and roots (3.96) was achieved in this medium in the 'Kashan' rose. Stem and root lengths, as well as stem and root fresh and dry weights, were also analyzed. In most measured traits, the lowest values were found in the PGRs-free control medium. Rooted plantlets were transferred to pots filled with perlite and peat moss in a 2:1 proportion and were acclimatized to ambient greenhouse conditions with a mean 90.12% survival rate. This research contributes significantly to our understanding of Damask rose propagation and has practical implications for the cosmetic and ornamental plant industries. By offering insights into the manipulation of regeneration processes, our study opens up new possibilities for the effective production of high-quality plant material.