1. Introduction
Tibouchina granulosa (Desr.) Cogn. belongs to the genus
Tibouchina of the family Melastomataceae, characterized as a perennial plant adapted to hot, humid climates. It thrives in direct sunlight but can tolerate partial shade, exhibiting limited cold tolerance and moderate drought resistance. Well-drained acidic soils are preferred for optimal cultivation [
1]. Native to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, it was introduced to the Guangzhou Forestry and Landscape Science Research Institute in 2006. Typically, the species exhibits bluish-violet flowers, whereas we selected an individual that displays pink blooms within this population, representing a distinct phenotypic difference.
T. granulosa is a prized ornamental species characterized by its lustrous emerald-green foliage, adaptable growth habit, and spectacular floral displays. In Guangzhou’s subtropical climate, it blooms biannually, producing dense floral clusters that create breathtaking landscape vistas [
2]. Its adaptable growth habit supports diverse horticultural uses, including solitary specimen plantings, clustered garden groupings, and roadside landscape enhancement, highlighting substantial potential for landscape architecture and urban greening projects [
3]. Ecologically, the trichomes on adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces effectively capture airborne particulate matter, reducing localized air pollution [
4,
5]. This PM sequestration capacity contributes substantially to urban ecosystem services. Moreover, leaf extracts demonstrate potent anti-inflammatory activity [
6], while floral tissues contain bioactive alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and antioxidant compounds [
7]. This multifunctional profile highlights the value of
T. granulosa in sustainable urban planning and green biotechnology applications.
The population of
T. granulosa imported to China is currently limited, with only one individual exhibiting pink flowers, rendering the resources extremely scarce. Furthermore,
T. granulosa exhibits low seed production, and according to Zaia & Takaki’s study, 70–80% of the seeds fail to complete embryo development, resulting in an exceptionally low germination rate [
8]. A study found that
T. granulosa exhibited optimal cutting propagation results when the upper branches were treated with 100 mg/L of NAA for 2 h between May and November. However, treatments conducted at other times proved less effective [
9]. These factors significantly limit the rapid propagation of
T. granulosa.
Plant tissue culture can reduce the impact of environmental factors on plant growth, requires less space, and allows for the rapid production of a large quantity of genetically stable seedlings within a short time [
10]. However, to date, no regeneration studies have been reported for
T. granulosa.
Therefore, this study employs in vitro regeneration technology with petiolated leaves to propagate superior, pink-flowered specimens of T. granulosa, aiming to develop low-cost and high-efficiency propagation techniques and simultaneously lay the foundation for future genetic transformation studies of this species.
3. Discussion
Indirect organogenesis through callus-mediated regeneration, achieved by culturing various explant organs to induce callus formation followed by adventitious shoot differentiation, enables efficient plantlet regeneration [
11]. In Melastomataceae species, such as
Melastoma dodecandrum [
12],
Melastoma affine, and
Melastoma candidum [
13], MS basal medium has been established as optimal for callus induction. This study corroborates these findings through systematic media screening, demonstrating that the balanced inorganic salt composition in MS medium promotes callus induction. In contrast, elevated salt concentrations, such as those in a 3/2 × MS medium, inhibit callus growth via osmotic stress and ion toxicity [
14].
Significant variation in callus induction and differentiation rates existed across explant types, necessitating strategic explant selection to establish efficient regeneration systems [
13,
15]. This study identifies that the callus induction rate of petiolated leaves was the highest, likely due to the petiole’s lower cellular differentiation state, higher metabolic activity, and enhanced regenerative competence, facilitating rapid dedifferentiation in response to auxin/cytokinin signals [
16]. These findings align with observations in
Momordica charantia [
17] and
Pinellia ternate [
18], where petioles consistently outperform other explants in callus formation efficiency. Consequently, petiolated leaf explants represent the optimal choice for de novo organogenesis in
T. granulosa.
Plant growth regulators play pivotal roles in modulating cellular dedifferentiation and redifferentiation by synergizing with endogenous hormonal pathways to drive callus proliferation and adventitious shoot organogenesis [
19]. ZT, a naturally occurring cytokinin, exhibits superior bioactivity compared to kinetin (KT) and BA [
20]. Early mechanistic studies demonstrated ZT’s critical involvement in RNA and protein synthesis during organogenesis [
21], with subsequent research confirming its capacity to stimulate cell division and differentiation across diverse species [
22,
23,
24]. This study similarly underscores the essential function of ZT in callus induction for
T. granulosato, with both supraoptimal and suboptimal concentrations adversely affecting callus growth, consistent with findings reported by Meng H.R. [
25]. Furthermore, combining ZT with complementary phytohormones enabled direct shoot differentiation from explants [
26]. In contrast, Zhang X.H. et al. achieved superior regeneration outcomes in
Tibouchina aspera leaf cultures using thidiazuron (TDZ), reporting a mean of 11.3 shoots per explant alongside enhanced differentiation rates in subsequent callus induction [
27]. Comparable regenerative efficacy of TDZ has also been documented in
T. magnifica [
28] and
Tibouchina urvilleana [
29]. While this study did not investigate TDZ’s effects on
T. granulosato callus induction or differentiation, future experiments should explore TDZ applications to potentially optimize regeneration efficiency in this species.
In Melastomataceae micropropagation systems, BA is the predominant cytokinin, typically combined with NAA to regulate organogenesis [
12,
13,
15,
30,
31]. This study demonstrated that all five tested BA concentrations effectively induced adventitious bud formation, contingent upon prior ZT-mediated induction of callus with enhanced differentiation competence. Following shoot induction from callus, shoot elongation can be promoted by reducing phytohormone concentrations. Once transferred to a rooting medium, these elongated shoots develop into vigorous regenerated plantlets [
32,
33].
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Acquisition of Sterile Seedlings
The seeds of T. granulosa used in the experiment were collected from the pink-flowered individual plants in the nursery of the Guangzhou Forestry and Landscape Science Research Institute (23.15° N, 113.28° E). Fruits at full maturity (free of pests/disease) were first rinsed with tap water for 15 min to remove surface debris, then sterilized by soaking in 0.1% carbendazim solution for 25 min with constant stirring, followed by rinsing with deionized water 5~6 times to remove residual fungicide. The exocarp was peeled off on an ultra-clean workbench and placed into a sterilized bottle, rinsed once with sterile water, soaked in 75% alcohol for 1 min and 0.1% mercury chloride solution (with 2~3 drops of Tween 20) for 20 min in sequence, with shaking and oscillation taking place at each step, and rinsed 3~5 times with sterile water after each disinfection. Finally, seeds were aseptically excised from the fruits using a sterile scalpel and transferred onto an MS0 medium (MS basal medium without plant growth regulators). After 25 d, the aseptic seeds had successfully germinated when the first pair of leaves expanded.
4.2. Callus Induction
4.2.1. Explant Selection for Callus Induction
To enhance induction efficiency and obtain structurally well-developed callus, three explants were used: epicotyls, leaves with petioles, and leaves without petioles from 25-d-old aseptic seedlings. Under sterile conditions, the epicotyls were cut into segments of approximately 1 cm; leaves with petioles retained the entire petiole, while leaves without petioles had only the petiole removed. The selected leaf explants were the first pair of fully expanded leaves.
To promote callus formation, explants were subjected to wounding treatments: leaf wounding was performed by orienting perpendicularly to the midrib, excising the leaf tip area, and generating 3–4 epidermal incisions with sterile blades. Epicotyl wounding was achieved through a controlled 2–3 superficial incisions. Explants were cultured adaxial surface downward (leaves) or horizontally (epicotyls) on a callus induction medium.
The medium consisted of MS supplemented with 1.0 mg/L of ZT and 0.3 mg/L of NAA. Each treatment contained 90 explants equally divided into 3 replicates. The callus induction rate and morphological changes in each type of explant were compared after 60 d of culture.
4.2.2. Optimization of PGRs for Callus Induction
A systematic screening of cytokinin–auxin combinations was conducted using petiolated leaf explants (selected as the optimal explant from
Section 4.2.1) cultured on MS basal medium. Employing a full factorial design (
Table 6), ZT (0.8, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.3 mg/L) and NAA (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mg/L) were evaluated for synergistic effects on callus induction. Each treatment contained 90 explants equally divided into 3 replicates. Explants were prepared and cultured as described in
Section 4.2.1. Callus morphology and induction efficiency were systematically recorded after 60 d.
4.3. Adventitious Bud Induction
Preliminary trials utilizing ZT demonstrated effective callus induction; however, its potent cytokinin activity resulted in suboptimal regeneration outcomes characterized by sparse and stunted adventitious buds. To enhance regeneration efficiency, this experiment employed BA in a single-factor design. Green and compact nodular calluses (1.0 cm3 cubic blocks) derived from petiolated leaf cultures were aseptically transferred to an MS basal medium supplemented with 0.4 mg/L of NAA and BA gradients (1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 2.0, and 2.3 mg/L). Each treatment contained 90 calluses equally divided into 3 replicates. Calluses were placed horizontally on the medium surface. Adventitious bud induction and the mean number of buds were counted after 25 d.
4.4. Elongation of Adventitious Shoots
Calluses with buds were carefully selected for shoot elongation, ensuring a uniform developmental stage (with visible buds and no signs of browning). These calluses were aseptically harvested and transferred to an MS-based elongation medium containing BA and NAA at the concentrations detailed in
Table 7. Each treatment contained 90 bud-bearing callus clusters equally divided into 3 replicates. The mean shoot length was measured after 15 d.
4.5. Rooting
Elongated shoots with robust stems and fully expanded leaves (≥1 cm in height) were excised and transferred to a 1/2 × MS (half-strength MS macronutrients) basal medium supplemented with gradient concentrations of NAA (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 mg/L) in a single-factor experimental design. Each treatment contained 90 adventitious shoots equally divided into 3 replicates. The root rate, mean number of roots per plantlet, root length, and root diameter were recorded after 25 d.
4.6. Acclimatization and Transplantation
For ex vitro adaptation, strong-rooted plantlets were hardened in a shaded greenhouse (50–80% shade) for 5–7 days, allowing them to adapt to natural light and humidity conditions. They were transplanted into a mix of peat, perlite, and vermiculite (3:1:1 v/v/v), which was pre-sterilized to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. Sterilization was performed using 0.1–0.2% potassium permanganate solution, left for 24–48 h, rinsed to remove residual disinfectant, and then aired for 1–3 days before use.
During the transplant, plantlets were taken from vessels, and the roots were cleaned of any remaining medium and soaked in 600× carbendazim for 10 min to prevent fungal infections. The soil was gently pressed to conceal the roots. Post-transplant: (1) the area was irrigated well; (2) 600× carbendazim spray was applied for disease prevention; and (3) humidity was maintained with a film for 10 days. After removing the film, standard fertilizing began. A total of 100 vigorous plantlets were selected based on the rooting for transplantation, and their survival was assessed 30 days later.
4.7. Culture Condition
The culture medium was supplemented with 8 g/L of carrageenan (Zhao Qing Hai Xing Food Industry Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China) and 30 g/L of sugar, and the pH value was adjusted to 5.8–6.0 before autoclaving (121 °C, 103 kPa, 20 min). All the above tissue cultures were placed in a constant-temperature, sterile room at 25 ± 2 °C for light culture, with a light intensity of 65 μmol·m−2·s−1 and a light duration of 12 h/d.
4.8. Data Processing
Callus induction rate (%) = number of callus explants induced/number of initial explants × 100. Adventitious bud induction rate = number of calluses with adventitious buds/total number of initial calluses. Mean number of adventitious buds = total number of adventitious buds/total number of calluses with adventitious buds. Mean shoot length = total shoot length/number of initial shoots (with shoot length ≥0.5 cm). Rooting rate (%) = number of rooting plants/number of initial shoots × 100. The mean number of roots per plantlet = total number of roots/number of initial rooted shoots. Mean length of roots per plantlet = total length of roots/total number of roots (from the base of the stem to the root tip). Mean diameter of roots per plantlet = total diameter of roots/total number of roots (5 mm away from the stem). Data were collated and statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS 23.00. The significance of differences among means was determined using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test with a significance level of p < 0.05. The results were represented as means ± standard error of three replicates.