ABSTRACT
The genus Dieffenbachia, a member of the aroid family, is composed of approximately thirty species of upright herbaceous tropical plants indigenous to South and Central America. Commonly called dumbcane, Dieffenbachia is one of the most important ornamental tropical foliage plant genera. An important early use of micropropagation was for the purpose of producing aroids free of dasheen mosaic virus and was first reported to be successful with Caladium, Xanthosoma, and Colocasia. Subsequently, tissue culture was seen as a method whereby Dieffenbachia stock could be freed of systemic viral and bacterial pathogens. Tissue culture propagation made possible production of salable plants in a greater range of pot sizes than through conventional cutting propagation. This chapter focuses on two experiments which illustrates the exact methods used by industry to initiate cultures, which is not necessarily recommended for a laboratory exercise because it may be too time consuming, and a culture maintenance and propagation system.
