Post-seminal development and cryopreservation of endemic or endangered bromeliads

Abstract

Vriesea bahiana, Hohenbergia castellanosii and Encholirium spectabile are endemic Brazilian species that are considered endemic or endangered. Development of strategies to conserve these species is important to prevent irreversible genetic erosion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the post-seminal development and seed cryopreservation of three endemic or in danger of extinction bromeliad species in Brazil, to obtain a protocol that can safeguard the genetic variability of these species.In the seed cryopreservation assay, we evaluated fi ve desiccation periods. The seeds in the cryotubes were taken from the desiccator and immediately plunged into liquid nitrogen. For the analysis of post-seminal development, seeds in different germination stages were collected and evaluated by light and scanning electron microscopy. Vriesea bahiana seeds frozen in liquid nitrogen presented almost 100% germination, indicating dormancy break of this species. Vriesea bahiana can be cryopreserved with 5.9% water content after being dried for 24 hours. Hohenbergia castellanosii and E. spectabile seeds did not need to be desiccated before being cryopreserved. The most relevant morphological traits for differentiation of genera and subfamilies of Bromeliaceae are the shape and type of seed appendages. In this study, all three species presented welldifferentiated size and shape of their structures.

In vitro germination and regeneration of Senna artemisioides, a valuable leguminous ornamental shrub

“…Starting from seeds is a widespread method to establish in vitro cultures of new ornamental species of high proliferation rate (Papafotiou et al, 2013;Cabahug et al, 2018). Seed propagation also enhances the genetic diversity within species, which subsequently contributes to the selection of genotypes of high ornamental and commercial value (Sarasan et al, 2011;Generoso et al, 2019;Silva et al, 2021). Efficient clonal propagation strategies are also necessary in order to meet the increasing demands of the ornamental plant market.…”