Geophytes are an increasingly widely used group of plants. Its high biodiversity, however, significantly impacts the cultivation process. Therefore, every new insight into the behavioral aspects of each single species is crucial for production. This study, for the first time, aims at contributing to a better understanding of the interplay between the bulb size potential of Narcissus poeticus and the pattern of bulb lifting time to find the optimal combination of these factors in obtaining the best quality propagation material. Twelve bulb size groups were examined. Plants were planted in the open air in two locations of Central East Europe and lifted in three terms: immediately and two and four weeks after flowering. Bulb fresh and dry weight, as well as leaf, root and total plant dry weight, increased with growing bulb size and delayed the time of lifting. The bulb weight increase indicator was twice as high for bulbs lifted in the third date compared to those lifted earlier. Its value was the highest for the smallest bulbs. Bulb shape ratio gradually decreased together with the increase of bulb weight and later lifting term. Principal components analysis allowed singling out two principal components that accounted for 86.58% of total variability.

Micropropagation via organogenesis of Lachenalia viridiflora W. F. Barker, a native endangered plant from South Africa, is presented in this study. Leaves, collected from in vivo plants, were a source for culture initiation to obtain three types of explants (leaf, bulb, callus). They were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with two concentrations of sucrose (3 or 6%, marked as S3 and S6) and different concentrations of benzylaminopurine (BA) (0.0–5.0 μM) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (0.0–0.5 μM). The results demonstrated that bulbing was more efficient on media with 3% sucrose and this process was closely related to explant type—irrespective of media type twice more adventitious bulbs (5.1–5.6) were regenerated on leaf and bulb explants than on callus (2.6). The highest value of adventitious bulb number was recorded for interaction: leaf × S3/2.5 BA/0.5 NAA (9.3 bulbs per explant). Irrespective of media type, the higher the number of adventitious bulbs (obtained from leaf and bulb explants), the lower their diameter. Moreover, adventitious bulbs regenerated from bulb explants formed the longest leaves (18.9 mm) and in the greatest percentage (52.3%). The highest biomass weight increase indicator (50 times) was recorded for interaction: leaf × S6/2.5 BA/0.25 NAA. Various combinations of plant growth regulators favor biomass increase.

This study focused on the identification and elimination of endophytic bacterial contaminations during in vitro propagation of European bladdernut ( Staphylea pinnata ). Axillary shoots were propagated on Murashige and Skoog medium with 20 mg ∙ dm ⁻³ FeEDDHA, 5 μM BA and 0.5 μM NAA at 20/18°C (day/night) and a 16-h photoperiod. Clouding by endophytic bacterial colonies was observed where shoots contacted the media. Bacteria were isolated and separated by repeated streaking as two strains. Gram staining revealed that both strains were Gram-negative. The colonies were very precisely identified as Acinetobacter johnsonii , strain ATCC 17909, and Methylobacterium rhodesianum , strain DSM 5687, using VITEK ^® 2—a rapid bacterial identification system—and the 16S rRNA gene sequencing method. The agar disc-diffusion test proved that both bacterial strains were susceptible to 13 antibiotics (out of 25 tested), derived from the groups of fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides and tetracyclines. Doxycycline or gentamicin (100–300 mg ∙ dm ⁻³ ) was added to the S. pinnata shoot propagation medium to eliminate bacteria. Gentamicin 100 mg ∙ dm ⁻³ showed the best effect, inhibiting the growth of endogenous bacteria (63%) when applied in the medium for 4 weeks. After the following transfer to media without antibiotics, shoots developed axillary buds and bacterial colonies were not observed.

The Narcissus poeticus (L.) species stands out from other narcissus due to its unique ornamental and sensory values. In our experiment, the flowers of N. poeticus were harvested at five different stages. After cutting, the plants were placed directly at room temperature or at 4 °C for 1 week. The opening status of the flowers was recorded every 12 h, and based on this, the ornamental value of the flowers was calculated. Additionally, the flower diameter, the scape and flower weight, the dry matter content, the water soluble K, Ca, and Mg content of the plant parts, and the chlorophyll content of the scapes were measured. The complete senescence of the stored flowers was noted to be earlier (after 6.6–7.5 days) than that of the fresh flowers (7.5–8.5 days) and depended on the bud stage at harvest. Flowers opened from all the buds, but the flower size was smaller in the early developmental harvest stage (a 10 mm reduction in diameter and a 0.38 g reduction in fresh weight between the green bud and the large white bud harvest stages). Cold storage delayed further bud development and reduced the flower size in several cases, but it increased the maximum decorative value of the flowers for those flowers that had been harvested as big white buds.

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) in Narcissus offers significant potential for both horticultural propagation and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, embryogenic callus lines derived via primary and secondary SE were evaluated under different in vitro conditions to assess the effects of medium type (liquid vs. solid) and composition (proliferation vs. regeneration) on biomass growth and somatic embryo formation. Lines derived from primary SE (LC1–LC4) were less efficient compared to those obtained through secondary SE (LC5–LC7). Cultures cultivated in liquid proliferation medium for eight weeks showed a greater biomass accumulation than those grown on solid medium. Multivariate analyses revealed distinct growth patterns and responses to medium type among the callus lines. The LC5 and LC7 lines formed a separate cluster characterized by superior biomass proliferation and embryogenic competence. An eight-week culture in a liquid proliferation medium followed by a transfer to a solid medium of the same composition resulted in the highest somatic embryo yield in the LC5 line (54.4 embryos per 0.5 g of callus). Under the same conditions, the LC7 line showed the highest biomass growth (a 23.4-fold increase), but its embryogenic response was more effectively stimulated when the callus was initially proliferated on a solid medium and then transferred to a regeneration medium.

This study evaluated the effect of the culture system (temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) vs. solid culture) on the micropropagation efficiency of two Lachenalia cultivars, ‘Rainbow Bells’ and ‘Riana’. Morphological and biochemical responses were analyzed under different immersion frequencies (15 min every 24 h, 15 min every 8 h, and 5 min every 8 h) and on solid medium. TIB, regardless of the immersion frequency, was more efficient in terms of biomass growth (3.27–3.95-fold increase) and the number of obtained bulblets (17.80–19.08 bulbs). The response to culture conditions was genotype-dependent. ‘Rainbow Bells’ exhibited higher biomass growth and bulblet number, whereas ‘Riana’ produced fewer but heavier bulblets (4.39 and 2.09 of biomass growth, 23.19 and 9.97 bulbs per 1 g, 0.23 and 0.31 g per bulb, respectively, for ‘Rainbow Bells’ and Riana’). The most effective bulblet multiplication was obtained under the 1 × 15 min regime for ‘Rainbow Bells’; the same frequency promoted bulblet enlargement in ‘Riana’. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 77% of total variance, revealing strong genotype separation: ‘Rainbow Bells’ clustered with traits linked to growth intensity and phenolic accumulation, while ‘Riana’ correlated with bulb storage parameters. The results support the use of TIBs to improve Lachenalia micropropagation, bulb quality, and future automation, and indicate that further research should focus on optimizing culture parameters for each genotype.