This study was carried out in a trial to find out a cheaper substitute for agar. Different substrates were tested as support matriceswith MS solution and compared with agar-gelled MS medium. Aseptic explants of two aroids, Spathiphyllum wallisii and Anthurium scherzerianum were cultured on these media under aseptic conditions.
The highest records of total number of shoots, shoot length, total number of leaves, diameter of vegetative growth and total fresh weight of Spathiphyllum were observed in shoots grown on agar medium. Results of Anthurium shoots grown on agar medium did not differ significantly from the highest levels of shoot length and total fresh weight. Agar also achieved the second rank in total number of shoots, total number of leaves and the diameter of vegetative growth of Anthurium shoots.
Length of Spathiphyllum and Anthurium shoots grown on cotton medium was not significantly different from the highest level. Cotton also achieved the second rank in total number of shoots, total number of leaves, diameter of vegetative growth and total fresh weight of Spathiphyllum and Anthurium shoots.
In case of Spathiphyllum, perlite medium achieved the second rank in total fresh weight, and was not significantly lower than this category in total number of leaves. Records of Spathiphyllum shoots grown on perlite were lowered to the third rank in total number of shoots, shoot length and diameter of vegetative growth. On the other hand, the highest significant levels in total number of shoots, shoot length, total number of leaves, diameter of vegetative growth and total fresh weight of Anthurium were observed in shoots grown on perlite.
Value of the total fresh weight of Spathiphyllum shoots grown on bagasse medium significantly occupied the second rank in a descending order compared to the corresponding character in other media. The bagasse medium reached the third category in shoot length and total number of leaves, and the fourth one in total number of shoots and diameter of vegetative growth of Spathiphyllum. In case of Anthurium, values of all characters measured of shoots grown in the bagasse medium significantly reached the third rank in a descending order.
The longest shoots were those grown on straws of rice or wheat in case of Spathiphyllum, and on rice straw in case of Anthurium.
Parameters of the photosynthetic pigments, i.e. chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and carotenoids, were not influenced significantly by media substrate in case of Spathiphyllum. On the contrary, the highest significant values of these characters were observed in Anthurium shoots grown on bagasse medium, followed without any significant difference by those grown on the cotton one. Corresponding values of Anthurium shoots grown on perlite medium were not significantly different from those grown on agar medium. However, values of the two later media were significantly lower than those of the two former ones.
The use of cheaper substrates such as cotton, perlite or bagasse could be recommended as a replacement for agar, especially in commercial tissue culture labs.