Benzyl amino purine enhances multiplication of Vanda tricolor protocorm like bodies

Vanda tricolor orchids are endemic to the slopes of Mount Merapi, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. The exploitation of Vanda tricolor out of its natural habitat by the community for collection or selling it outside the area has reduced the orchid population. Therefore, efforts should be carried out to improve technology to reproduce and regenerate Vanda tricolor orchids. The objective of this study was to determine the best type and concentration of cytokinin for the multiplication of Vanda tricolor Protocorm Like Bodies (PLBs). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with single factor consisting of 7 treatments namely medium without cytokinin, BAP 0.5 mgL⁻¹, BAP 1 mgL⁻¹, TDZ 0.5 mgL⁻¹, TDZ 1 mgL⁻¹, Kinetin 0.5 mgL⁻¹ and Kinetin 1 mgL⁻¹. Parameters observed in this study were percentage of viable and abnormal explant, PLBs diameter, growth time of shoots and roots, number of explant sprouting and shoots. The data were analyzed by using The Analysis of Variance and further tested using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at α 0.05. The results showed that BAP 0.5 mg / L was the best cytokinin for multiplication of Vanda tricolor PLBs as shown by the parameters the diameters of PLBs (1.83 mm) and the number of shoots (2.6 shoots).