Enhanced Seed Germination of Ilex dumosa R. (Aquifoliaceae) through In Vitro Culture of Cut Pyrenes

DOLCE NR; MROGINSKI LA; REY HY

HORTSCIENCE

AMER SOC HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE

Lugar: Leuven; Año: 2011 vol. 46 p. 1 - 4

0018-5345

Abstract. An in vitro culture protocol was developed that increased the germinationpercentage and decreased the lag time to germination for Ilex dumosa R. pyrenes as a toolfor replacing the laborious task of embryo rescue technique. This method involves transverselycutting surface-sterilized pyrenes with a scalpel blade, then placing the micropylarone-third end with the rudimentary embryo (’0.25 mm long) on solidified (agar 0.65%)quarter-strength salts and vitamins of Murashige and Skoog, 1962 medium with 3%sucrose, and incubating in a growth room at 27 ± 2 8C with a 14-h photoperiod (116mmolm–2s–1). Most of the cut pyrenes (greater than 50%) germinated within the firstmonth after inoculation and achieved maximum germination (’70%) in 2 monthscompared with whole pyrenes, which began to germinate 3 months after sowing andrequired more than 8 months for maximum germination (37%). Moreover, the germinationpercentage of cut pyrenes was significantly higher than the germination of isolatedembryos (34%). Thus, the cut pyrenes culture is a simpler and more effective techniquethan embryo rescue. Easily, on average, a trained operator is able to culture ’1000 cutpyrenes per day instead of ’100 isolated embryos.