Efforts were made to develop proper protocol for establishment of aseptic conditions as well as efficient initiation and multiplication of in vitro cultures of olive cultivar “Uslu”. Our work inquires that the main factors such as media composition; growth regulators, fungicide (mancozeb) and bacteriocide (Clorox) have prominent effects on the micropropagation of the selected olive cultivar. The effectiveness of different treatments, in terms of concentration and time, was investigated for optimization of aseptic conditions.For controlling fungal contamination; the best results were achieved when 5gm mancozeb was used for 75 minutes, while 50% Clorox treatment for 5 minutes was found to be the best for controlling bacterial contamination. After sterilization, medium for direct shoot regeneration and proliferation were optimized. The explants were cultured on olive media containing different concentrations and combinations of auxins and cytokinins. Among the treatments used, the highest sprouting rates were observed in the media containing 6-Benzyleaminopurine3.5 mg/L and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid 1.5 mg/L. Our findings accentuate on the fact that the applicability of the optimized methods should be evaluated for olive cultivars of commercial value.
