Effect of Explants Type and Plant Growth Regulators on the Initiation and Multiplication of Vegetative Shoots of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in vitro

Abstract This study was carried out in the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory of College Agriculture - Karbala Unaiversity for period from 2022 to 2023. The included use explants and different combinations sterilization, initiation multiplication vegetative shoots Stevia plantiv vitro , three phases: first sterilization (shoot tips lateral buds) using sodium hypochlorite at concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2)% periods (5, 10, 15) minutes. second cultures by cultivating shoot buds on MS medium with 1.5) mg l -1 BA 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) NAA, third stage growths resulting cultivated previous prepared 2, 3, 4) 0.3, 0.4) NAA. results showed superiority developing apical achieving lowest contamination rate 38% compared side that achieved a 40.67%, concentration 2% NaOCl pollution 8.33%, duration 15 minutes 24%. experiment as highest response emergence 70% recorded 54.69%, 1 significantly superior 82.5% comparison treatment gave 82.5%. A 32.5%. As experiment, 3 number length branches 33.35 8.20 cm respectively. rate, 0.3 NAA average total reached 30.84 plant branch 7.65 respectively, while mean studied traits.