Development of Agar Substitute Formulated with Mucilage and Pectin from Opuntia Local Waste Matter for Cattleya sp. Orchids In Vitro Culture Media

Abstract

The technology for reproducing orchids in vitro has had to evolve due to the demand for these plants and the high cost of the biotechnology used due to the agar, the gelling agent. Consequently, research has tended to search for natural substitutes for agar. Our work describes the use of pectin and mucilage hydrocolloids extracted from the local waste matter of two species of Opuntia (O. ficus-indica and O. robusta) to study as a gelling agent in vitro culture media for Cattleya sp. These hydrocolloids were obtained by alkaline hydrolysis. Subsequently, these were used in proportions of 0.8%, 0.6%, 0.4%, and 0.2% in combination with agar to study the gelation time, texture profile analysis (TPA), seed germination under light and dark conditions, and a phenological study, including orchid analyses of leaves and roots, root and leaf length, seedling height, and width of the best-designed treatment were studied. Our results demonstrate that the treatment composed of 0.4% O. ficus-indica pectin and 0.4% agar improves the germination time, plant growth, and the number of leaves and roots, resulting in a biostimulant formula for optimal in vitro growth of Cattleya sp.