In vitro flowering of Dendrobium

Dendrobium plants are the most frequently used orchids to study the process of in vitro flowering. Among the various environmental cues and plant growth regulators employed thus far, cytokinins have shown the most prominent effects on the transition from vegetative to reproductive stage. A clear correlation between flowering establishment and enhancement of endogenous cytokinins has been observed. However, the experimental utilization of a large amount of different Dendrobium species and hybrids, combined with a large diversity of variable media types and media compositions make interpretation of flowering control in the in vitro environment difficult. The combination of a specific model Dendrobium in vitro regeneration system or protocol with a simple, but well defined culture medium, could contributed, to some degree, to reaching a clearer consensus about the physiological and molecular mechanisms controlling the Dendrobium flowering phase change.