Micropropagation of Japanese Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.)

Persimmons belong to the genus Diospyros in the family Ebenaceae from which comes the ebony wood, a valuable timber for furniture. The genus contains nearly 400 species, most of which are natives of tropical and subtropical regions. Among them, only four species are important for their fruit production. They are D. kaki L., D. lotus L., D. virginiana L., and D. oleifera Cheng (Kitagawa and Glucina 1984). The most important species is undoubtedly D. kaki, Japanese or Oriental persimmon, often referred to simply as Kaki (Fig. 1). D. lotus, the Asian date plum, is used as a fruit in Asia and also as a rootstock for Japanese persimmon. D. oleifera is grown in China mainly as a source of tannin. D. virginiana, a native of North America, grows wild but is seldom grown commercially.