Micropropagation of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) from adult plants

Abstract

Arbutus unedo L. is a species of strawberry tree, widely represented in the Mediterranean climates of southern Europe. Fruits are used to make jellies and a spirit called "medronheira." Shoot apices and nodal segments from epicormic and coppiced shoots of adult plants were used for plant propagation. Shoot apices from epicormic shoots, which were developed in a growth chamber, showed higher rates of in vitro establishment. The results also indicated that shoot apices are more effective for plant establishment than nodal segments, with rates of establishment significantly higher after 12 wk of culture. Of the three basal media used in combination with 9.0 µM benzyladenine and 0.087 M sucrose, the FS medium with the micronutrients of the Murashige and Skoog medium gave the highest rates of multiplication, especially when the parameter analyzed was the number of clusters formed. When shoot apices from selected adult plants (AL01-AL06) were tested, the multiplication rate was not significantly different among the plants. However, in the conditions tested, shoots from the clones AL1, AL2, and AL3 showed better development, whereas shoots from AL4, AL5, and AL6 showed an impaired development and could not be rooted. Rooting was achieved in all the conditions tested, even in the absence of auxin. The inclusion of an auxin significantly increased root formation, whereas the addition of charcoal did not improve root formation. Rooted plantlets were acclimatized, and some of them are now in the field for further study.

Micropropagation of threatened black alder

“…Similar results have been reported for other woody species such as Eucalyptus nitens Deane &. Maiden (Gomes and Canhoto 2003) and Arbutus unedo L. (Gomes and Canhoto 2009). In the latter study, the authors suggested higher production of exudates from nodal explants or the presence in apical explants of leaf primordia which produce plant growth regulators that promote cell division and retard senescence as the possible causes of this behaviour.…”

“…It appears that this material was sufficiently reinvigorated to provide reactive explants. Rejuvenation by forced flushing of branch segments has been described for several species (Vieitez et al 1994;Gomes and Canhoto 2009;Vieitez et al 2009). The results showed that for culture initiation, apical explants were more reactive than nodal explants.…”

Propagação in vitro de Erythrina velutina

“…Resultados semelhantes ao encontrado no presente trabalho foram reportados por PARK et al (2008), que observaram enraizamento de brotos de Salix pseudolasiogyne em meio de cultura WPM, na ausência de reguladores de crescimento. Em Arbus unedo L., os brotos também foram capazes de enraizar em todas as condições testadas, até mesmo na ausência de auxinas; entretanto, altas frequências de indução de raízes (entre 76,7 e 93,3%) foram alcançadas com a adição de 25,0μM de AIB no meio de enraizamento por seis dias (GOMES & CANHOTO, 2009). CARVALHO et al (2005) também verificaram que o maior número de brotações enraizadas de Bixa orellana L. ocorreu no meio ½ MS suplementado com 5,0μM de AIB.…”

Application of Biotechnology in the Conservation of the Genus Castanea

“…It is considered to be the easiest method to apply, the most suitable for ensuring the genetic stability of the regenerated plant, and one of the most effective methods of ex situ short-term conservation [28][29][30]. This technique has been successfully used in different species to achieve a rapid production and regeneration of trees with desired characteristics, thus achieving genetically superior traits without gene segregation.…”