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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026)

Optimisation of in vitro rooting and acclimatisation of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12549
Submitted
1 November 2025
Published
12-05-2026 — Updated on 19-05-2026
Versions

Abstract

Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, an endemic and economically valuable tree of Southwestern Morocco, plays a crucial role in soil conservation, combating desertification and providing high-value products such as argan oil. This study investigates the in vitro rooting and ex vitro acclimatisation of A. spinosa plantlets cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with varying concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/L) of phytohormones, including naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and gibberellic acid (GA3), emphasising the influence of hormone type and concentration. Naphthalene acetic acid promoted rooting at 0.5 mg/L, achieving 75 ± 0.43 %, 2.96 ± 1.45 roots/explant and 1.72 ± 0.84 cm root length, while higher concentrations reduced rooting, highlighting a dose-dependent inhibitory effect. Indole-3-butyric acid at 0.5 mg/L response, with a maximum rooting rate of 25 ± 0.43 %, whereas BAP failed to initiate roots (0 ± 0.00), confirming cytokinin antagonism. Gibberellic acid at 2 mg/L was most effective, producing 87 ± 0.37 % rooting, 6.3 ± 1.11 roots/explant, 2.08 ± 0.72 cm root length and 87 ± 0.45 % callus formation over a 12 ± 0.41 weeks induction period, preferentially stimulating shoot elongation. Pearson correlation revealed strong positive relationships between rooting rate, root number and root length (r = 0.93, p< 0.0001). During ex vitro acclimatisation, 81.5 ± 5.6 % of plantlets survived, demonstrating the efficiency of the applied protocol. These findings highlight the species-specific hormonal sensitivity of A. spinosa and suggest that GA₃, either alone or in combination with low auxin levels, can enhance in vitro rhizogenesis or promote successful adaptation of plantlets to ex vivo conditions.

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