Nepenthes tissue culture- leaf cuttings?

[Hamata-Honzo]

Hey guys
I was reading around again and I got really interested in the subject of nep tissue culture. After reading for a while, a question came up... Can you culture plants from sectioned off leaves of nepenthes? If active cells are required, is it possible to use... Maybe a developING leaf?
Thanks... Bear with me if this sounds a bit amateurish

 

[amphirion]

if it could be done, im sure some one would have done it by now. seems the meristem and nodes is where the gold lies...

 

[swords]

I remember I tried to plant chopped sections of a N. Ventrata leaf back when I first got started in CPs cos it worked with Drosera adelae but it doesn't work with Neps.

There's a small depression (or sometimes a small bump) on the climbing Nepenthes vine stem just above the top of surface of a leaf which is where the meristem is located and where an all new vine will sprout from when made into a "Nepenthes cutting".

As far as TCing Nepenthes goes it is apparently very difficult - if not impossible to get a clean sample to grow in TC and not become infected. So most or even "all" Nepenthes you ever see that are in TC are cultures who were originally started from seed and germinated in vitro and not from fleshy bits like an excised meristem.

 

[Hamata-Honzo]

So then what makes culturing seeds different from just sowing them on traditional medium? What makes tissue culture so special?

 

[dionae]

Growth is more rapid and so is multiplication.

 

[Hamata-Honzo]

Is this increase in growth rate due to the isolation of nutrients minus the harmful stuff? Does the sterility of the environment contribute to this?
Thanks

 

[Sundrew]

Often times adult plants have fungus or other contaminants living inside their tissue. Seeds haven't had that exposure.

 

[pokie22]

0/5 currently. I am going to try another when my new fungicides arrive. There are multiple journal articles of Nepenthes explants. Do a google scholar search. You might need a University ID to access some journal articles.

 

[Hamata-Honzo]

Okay will do pokie
Thanks everyone this is juicy stuff!