Evaluating costs for the in vitro propagation and preservation of endangered plants

Abstract

In vitro methods provide opportunities for propagating and preserving endangered plant species when seed-based methods are not adequate. Such species include those that produce few or no seeds, as well as species with recalcitrant seeds. Tissue culture propagation methods can be used to produce such plants for reintroduction, research, education, display, and commerce. They can also be the basis for tissue banking as a way to preserve genetic diversity when seeds cannot be banked. With some recalcitrant species, embryo banking, a method which also utilizes in vitro culture for recovery germination, is possible. The number of endangered species that will require in vitro methods is estimated to be at least 5,000 worldwide. Further information is needed to identify these species, and the ongoing collection of information into databases on endangered species and recalcitrant species will help provide this. The costs of these methods are higher than for traditional propagation and preservation, but they may be necessary for species under higher threat. The multiplication rate of a culture, as well as the rates of rooting and acclimatization, has a major effect on the number of transfers needed for producing plants or tissue for banking, and improvements that will increase the efficiency of these steps can help lower costs. Further research into factors affecting the growth of tissues in vitro, as well as coordination of efforts among institutions with infrastructure for in vitro work, should facilitate the application of in vitro methods to the endangered species that cannot be propagated or preserved using seeds.

Perspectivas futuras e impacto social de las biotecnologías vegetales

“…La segunda es la crioconservación, en la cual los tejidos o embriones se mantienen a muy bajas temperaturas en nitrógeno líquido. Una vez descongelados, los embriones o tejidos pueden recuperarse y cultivarse en medios que contengan los nutrientes necesarios para su desarrollo (Pence, 2011).…”

“…se trata de plantas que no producen semillas, o con semillas recalcitrantes, la preservación in vitro a corto y mediano plazo, y la crioconservación a largo plazo parecen ser las alternativas más promisorias (Pence, 2011), ver la Figura 1 tomada del propio Pence (2011).…”

Conservación in vitro: una perspectiva para el manejo de los recursos fitogenéticos

“…Consiste en téc-nicas de crecimiento lento y conservación a corto, mediano y largo plazo (Normah et al, 2011;Pence, 2011). Así mismo las técnicas in vitro se complementan con las in situ y tienen un respaldo con la conservación en bancos genéticos (Guo, …”

Micropropagation of the Narrow Endemic Hladnikia pastinacifolia (Apiaceae)

“…The other is connected with problematic seed germination established in the Apiaceae family (Hendrawati et al 2012, Baskin andBaskin 2014). For such exceptional botanical rarities, it is nowadays usual to apply, besides the conventional propagation methods, in vitro propagation methods, which provide an important opportunity for the propagation and preservation of endemic, rare and/or endangered plant species in general (Fay 1992, Rao 2004, Pence 2010, 2011, Cruz-Cruz et al 2013.…”