Meristem culture of Strawberry

Strawberry plants are introduced from subtropical plants, but their cultivation in tropical areas such as Indonesia needs attention because many farmers are working on them in several regions such as Lembang (West Java), Batu (East Java) and Pancasari (Bali). Transmission of plant seeds by pathogens is a crucial problem faced by farmers so that farmers cannot use seeds that come from stolons in the field. The need for healthy strawberry seedlings is a necessity for strawberry farmers in the area of ​​the production center. Production of pathogen-free seedlings in large quantities, can be done technologically through meristem culture, because the meristem do not contain vessels (xylem and phloem) which is the pathway of plant indigenous pathogens (mainly viruses). However, with this technology, the price of culture media and growth regulators is relatively expensive, making it difficult for the seed producers.  As a result, the price of seeds sold to farmers became relatively expensive. The aim of this study was to obtain a relatively cheaper method for the production of pathogen-free strawberry seeds (mainly viruses) through meristem culture.