Expression of Melocactus glaucescens SERK1 sheds new light on the mechanism of areolar activation in cacti

Micropropagation and Acclimatization of Gymnocalycium cv. Fancy (Cactaceae): Developmental Responses to Different Explant Types and Hormone Conditions

“…Furthermore, they require minimal care, can adapt to different climates and soil types and have the potential for long lifespans, making them interesting for a broad spectrum of gardening and landscaping projects too [9]. In fact, over the past few decades, the demand for ornamental cacti has increased [11].…”

“…In this regard, within the global cactus market, it is estimated that around 1.5 million Gymnocalycium plants were sold internationally during 2021 [12], with Gymnocalycium mihanovichii (Frič and Gürke) Britton and Rose (with more than 1.2 million plants) being the most demanded species. Traditional propagation methods are commonly used in cactus production, including sexual propagation through seeds, asexual propagation through cuttings and clonal propagation through grafting [11,13].These techniques are specially used for cacti produced in mass, aimed at maximizing production under specific conditions and controlled environments.…”

“…For the efficient and rapid production of plants in large quantities, in vitro cultivation can play a fundamental role. Depending on the regenerative capacity of the species, direct organogenesis, indirect organogenesis [14], or axillary bud sprouting [15,16] can be employed, with the latter being the most commonly used regeneration method among cacti [11]. Axillary buds are located in the areoles, which are typical structures of the cactus family.…”

Transcriptome Analysis of Melocactus glaucescens (Cactaceae) Reveals Metabolic Changes During in vitro Shoot Organogenesis Induction

“…Despite the observation of a somaclonal variation in the first round of shoot organogenesis by Torres-Silva et al (2018), there is no correlation between this somaclonal variation and the observed morphological changes; therefore, further studies are necessary to improve the in vitro shoot production protocols of this species. Recent improvements to in vitro shoot production based on intentional wounding in the axillary meristems have successfully increased the number of shoots per explant (Torres-Silva et al, 2021). Availability of a transcriptome profile would expand the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the development and physiology of this species and enable the use of molecular tools to improve in vitro propagation.…”