Optimización de protocolo de micropropagación de variedades de Fragaria x ananassa, cultivadas en la zona norte de Cartago

Strawberry is one of the most important crops both economically and nutritionally. However, it faces several challenges due to pests such as rootworms, cutworms, and mites, which affect its yield and quality. The conventional propagation method using runners involves high labor costs and the risk of disease transmission, making the in vitro introduction of achenes a crucial alternative. Therefore, different treatments are evaluated, such as exposure to radiation, incubation at low temperatures, variations in environmental conditions, and different sodium hypochlorite doses with varied exposure times. In vitro micropropagation emerges as a solution for producing pathogen-free clones and improving genetic traits, processes that require the use of growth regulators and amino acids, whose effectiveness depends on factors such as dose, and environmental conditions. To optimize these parameters, several explants were tested, with the lower leaf and the bud proving to be the most efficient for callus induction due to their morphology and higher cell density. Regarding culture media, Medium 3 stood out for offering the best explant survival rate, at 26%, although no significant differences were observed between the media. In the proliferation stage, Medium 3 showed the best performance by promoting regeneration and the formation of shoots, which exhibited totipotent and fibrous structures