The Cryopreservation of Medicinal and Ornamental Geophytes: Application and Challenges

Abstract

Nowadays, plant genetic resources are often at risk of loss and destruction. Geophytes are herbaceous or perennial species that are annually renewed by bulbs, rhizomes, tuberous roots, or tubers. They are often subject to overexploitation, which, combined with other biotic and abiotic stresses, can make these plants more vulnerable to a decline in their diffusion. As a result, multiple endeavors have been undertaken to establish better conservation strategies. Plant cryopreservation at ultra-low temperatures in liquid nitrogen (−196 °C) has proven to be an effective, long-term, low-cost, and suitable conservation method for many plant species. Over the last two decades, major advances in cryobiology studies have enabled successful explants of multiple genera and types, including pollen, shoot tips, dormant buds, and zygotic and somatic embryos. This review provides an update on recent advances and developments in cryopreservation and its application to medicinal and ornamental geophytes. In addition, the review includes a brief summary of factors limiting the success of bulbous germplasm conservation. The critical analysis underpinning this review will benefit biologists and cryobiologists in their further studies on the optimization of geophyte cryopreservation protocols and will support a more complete and wider application of knowledge in this area.

Compatibility and Possibility of New Ornamental Geophytes for Their Utilization in Landscape Architecture

“…Avoiding constant removal from the soil is crucial for these species, as frequent digging up may lead to increased labor costs and storage needs until the next planting season. Species like Canna indica, Freesia refracta, Narcissus tazetta, and Polianthes tuberosa (with a flower longevity of approximately 3-5 years) can thrive when left undisturbed in the ground [26,27].…”

Analysis of Thermal Characteristics of Potato and Hop Pollen for Their Cryopreservation and Cross-Breeding

“…The only source of information on the cryopreservation of potato and hop pollen is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has a germplasm repository for these crops and has performed some DSC studies of pollen for cryopreservation, and for other plant species [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. On the other hand, there are quite a lot of papers involved in pollen cryopreservation, carried out on more than 170 plant species [ 33 ], including tropical species [ 34 ], exceptional plants [ 35 ] and medicinal and ornamental plant species [ 36 , 37 ], and vegetable crops [ 25 ]. Cryopreservation can be a suitable tool for preserving the genetic resources of plants, and also for increasing the efficiency of the breeding program [ 17 ].…”

IPPRAS Cryobank for the Conservation of Orthodox Seeds of Rare, Endangered, Medicinal, and Ornamental Plant Species—Current Research

“…A plant cryobank is an innovative institutional structure for the long-term storage of in vitro-derived germplasm, parts of plants, and seeds under liquid nitrogen (−196 • C) or its vapors (−135-180 • C). In order to perform its functions, a cryobank must provide special storage conditions that are created using the latest scientific developments and equipment [1][2][3]. The process of plant cryobank creation includes the collection of plant samples, their identification, passporting, processing, and freezing.…”