Abstract:In order to study the role of cytokinins in cell division, proliferation, shoot and root differentiation, and somatic embryogenesis of long-term maintained callus during in vitro culture, the effects of different cytokinins (BA, KT, ZT, ZR and TDZ, 0 to 0.20 mg·L-1) and their combinations on maintenance and plant regeneration of the 10-year Zoysia matrella embryonic callus were compared in this study. The highest proliferation rate was observed at 0.10 mg·L-1 BA + 0.20 mg·L-1KT + 0.15 mg·L-1 ZT + 0.10 mg·L-1 TDZ, reaching 331.3% after subculture for 4 weeks, which was slightly higher than that of 0.10 mg·L-1 KT (315.0%). Among the plant regeneration media (1/2MS + 30.0 g·L-1 Sugar + 3.0 g·L-1 Phytagel) supplemented with five different cytokinins, the highest regeneration rate and shooting differentiation rate were observed in the medium containing 0.15 mg·L-1 ZT, showing a regeneration rate of 60.3% and a total of 142 differentiated shoots, which were 2.41 times and 3.67 times than those of control respectively. The determination of antioxidant enzyme activities during regeneration indicated that the activities of Peroxide (POD) (6.694 to 14.569 U·g-1FW·min-1) were significantly lower than the control (20.802 to 32.303 U·g-1FW·min-1) and the peak of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (382.353 U·g-1FW·min-1) was significantly higher than the control (326.760 U·g-1FW·min-1). In the third week, the activity of Catalase (CAT) was significantly higher than that of the control. The results indicated that cytokinins could promote the growth and differentiation of calli and significantly affect the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Regulation of SOD and POD activity could improve the regeneration of embryogenic callus, and provide experimental material for modern breeding of Z. matrella.