Vegetative Propagation and ISSR-Based Genetic Identification of Genotypes of Ilex aquifolium ‘Agrifoglio Commune’

Abstract

The market demand for interesting varieties and cultivars of Ilex aquifolium necessitates the exploration and sustainable exploitation of plant individuals thriving in nature without human care. In this work, an effort was made to develop a simple and reliable protocol for vegetative propagation of I. aquifolium plants, with desirable-for-market characteristics, grown in a mountain area of Halkidiki, Greece, and at the same time to proceed with their genetic identification using molecular markers. From these plants, new plants were vegetatively produced which afterward were used as stock plants for providing the needed shoot cuttings for the experiments of rooting and leaves for their genetic analysis. Factors studied in formulating a propagation protocol included the season of cutting collection and the application of 0.2% 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), as well as the type of shoot cuttings (terminal, subterminal) and the application of auxin. It was found that application of NAA was crucial for rooting response and number of roots formed, whereas the season effect was not significant on rooting. Terminal cuttings treated with 0.2% NAA exhibited the highest rooting percentage (100%) and formed abundant roots (25.7) compared to subterminal ones. All rooted cuttings, after being potted and transferred to acclimatization greenhouse, were successfully hardened. In the spring of the next year, the produced plants blossomed abundantly and formed fruits (bright red berries) presenting their characteristic ornamental appearance that was maintained until Christmas. For the identification procedure, the genotypic profile of the stock plants was also investigated by inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) genetic analysis, revealing that they were genetically the same both among themselves and when compared with a certified I. aquifolium ‘Agrifoglio Commune’ individual, but they differed genetically from I. aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’ and I. aquifolium ‘Hellas’.

Acclimation study of Smilax nageliana A.DC., a climber species endemic to East Java, Indonesia

“…However, when the acclimation stage is completed, the plant will be in a new growing environment where the humidity, temperature and air temperature are no longer in a constant state (do Vale 2019). Acclimation of S. nageliana by the roots, which ensures retention of the good traits of the mother plant to the offspring (Tsaktsira 2021) and mitigating possible changes in the production of secondary metabolites, is one of the biggest challenges in the cultivation and management of this potentially medicinal Smilax species (Soares 2011).…”

Effects of donor tree age, cutting collection time and K-IBA application on rooting ability of Taxus baccata L. stem cuttings: preliminary results

“…In an attempt to increase rooting ability of woody species, auxins are applied to the basal part of the stem cuttings where adventitious root initiation and development will take place. Studies have shown that the use of auxins is essential for obtaining the maximum number of rooted cuttings in a short period of time (Metaxas et al, 2004;Bayraktar et al, 2018;Kostas et al, 2021;Tsaktsira et al, 2021). The indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) is the most commonly used auxin for rooting in commercial propagation; other auxins often used are indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (De Klerk et al, 1999;Hartmann et al, 2014).…”

Image Analysis of Adventitious Root Quality in Wild Sage and Glossy Abelia Cuttings after Application of Different Indole-3-Butyric Acid Concentrations

“…Seed germination may be poor or erratic due to dormancy [ 3 ]; moreover, the viability of seeds is very low [ 4 ]. In the horticultural industry, vegetative propagation is the most popular method, as it is cheaper, easier and faster than sexual reproduction [ 5 ]; the plants produced are clones that maintain the morpho-physiological and genetic characteristics of the stock plants, uniformity and earliness of production [ 6 ].…”