In vitro Culture Optimization of Pomelo Seeds ( Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.): A South Sulawesi Orange.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Indonesia boasts a variety of delicious tropical fruits, including pomelo, mainly grown in Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi Province. However, in this region, some challenges hinder such as inadequate care, aging trees and limited seed supply hinder productivity in this region. <i>In vitro</i> culture methods present a solution by rapidly producing high quality, disease-free pomelo seeds. This study aims to determine the optimal concentration of the BAP added to the culture medium to induce shoots from pomelo seeds. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The seeds were planted on MS media with the addition of BAP hormone (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 ppm) and 0 ppm as the control. The experimental units were arranged in a CRD and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software, employing the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and Levene's Statistic for homogeneity. If the data met the normality and homogeneity assumptions, ANOVA was applied, followed by the DMRT for a parametric test. Otherwise, a non-parametric test namely the Kruskal-Wallis was conducted and differences were further analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test at a 5% significance level. <b>Results:</b> The application of the BAP accelerated shoot emergence, with the most rapid development occurring on the 10th day after planting (DAP), at a BAP concentration of 2.5 ppm for red pomelo. For white pomelo and sweet pomelo, shoots appeared on the 19th and 20th days, respectively at a 2 ppm BAP. Interestingly, root development was fastest between the 4th and 6th DAP in 0 ppm BAP (control). <b>Conclusion:</b> The addition of the BAP at a concentration of 1.5 ppm in the culture medium promotes faster shoot emergence and has a significant impact on the number of shoots in red pomelo.