Coffee (Coffea spp.) is an important tropical agricultural crop that has significant economic and social importance in the world. The ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources through seeds is not feasible due to the sensitivity of coffee seed to desiccation and low temperatures. The cryopreservation of zygotic embryos may allow for an efficient and long-term storage of coffee germplasm. This study describes the cryopreservation methods for conserving zygotic embryos of Coffea arabica L. for the long-term conservation of currently available germplasm. Zygotic embryos were successfully cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C under controlled environmental conditions with either droplet-vitrification or encapsulation–vitrification protocols without dehydration. Zygotic embryos had the highest regrowth (100%) following droplet-vitrification cryopreservation using the Plant Vitrification Solution 3 (PVS3) for 40 min at 23 °C. In the case of encapsulation–vitrification using PVS3 for 40 min at 23 °C, the embryo regeneration response was 78%. Plantlets were recovered following shoot multiplication using a temporary immersion system (TIS) and in vitro rooting. The prolific rooting of shoots was observed after 4 weeks of culture in the liquid medium with plugs made of the inert substrate Oasis® In vitro Express (IVE) compared to the semi-solid medium. The successful cryopreservation of coffee zygotic embryos using droplet vitrification and encapsulation–vitrification followed by micropropagation in temporary immersion culture system has not been reported earlier and together these technologies are anticipated to further facilitate the initiatives for the conservation and distribution of coffee germplasm.
The main sources of soil contamination are anthropogenic activities, which
result in the accumulation of contaminants that can reach levels considered toxic. One
of the main soils contaminants these days is heavy metals. These metals are
bioaccumulative and are not biodegradable, so many of them are toxic when they
exceed certain limits. Heavy metals, when accumulated in the tissues of plants, animals
and humans, induce severe symptoms that can even cause death. Bioremediation is a
widely used technology to decrease the levels of these metals in soils and waters using
microorganisms, among which fungi stand out. Nanotechnology currently applies the
bases of bioremediation using fungi at the nanoparticle level to treat soils contaminated
with heavy metals. This chapter will discuss novel aspects related to heavy metals in
modern agriculture, bioremediation and nanotechnology using fungi with
bioremediation purposes.
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