Proliferazione in vitro dell'olivo: ulteriori studi sull'effetto di sostanze naturali

The traditional methods of olive trees propagation are based on vegetative multiplication (clonal propagation) using cuttings such as grafting, scion radication or suckers. The viable alternative, or integrative tecnique, at conventional method could be the micropropagation. As regard to the olive trees production, there is not yet enough knowledge for its use in a large scale nursery activity. In fact, now the micropropagation of olive concerns about 1% of the total nursery production. It is due to different factors. The first is represented by the high price of zeatin which is an effective limitation to the commercial use of developed protocols. The zeatin (growth regulator) is the only cytokinin capable of inducing satisfactory growth in olive cultured explants (multiplication rates). Efforts to replace zeatin on the in vitro culture protocols were tried out by several researchers. The available information indicates that zeatin replacement by single synthetic cytokinins, such as bap (6-benzylaminopurine) or kinetin, was not very successful as they did not prove to allow good proliferation rates and usually they induced explant anomalies. For this purpose, some studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of alternative but also integrative natural substances added to the nutritive substrates. Among them, oil of neem (tropical tree), looks like have a synergy activity with other components of the medium composition, could represent a solution. So, the present study has been focused on the effects of oil of neem on the proliferation activity of ‘moraiolo’ explants.