Production of healthy seed cane in Tucumán, Argentina

NOGUERA A.S., PAZ N. DEL V., DÍAZ M.E., PERERA M.F., DÍAZ ROMERO C. , GARCÍA M.B., FILIPPONE, M.P., WELIN B. , CUENYA M.I. AND CASTAGNARO A.P..

XXVIII ISSCT Proceedings

ISSCT

Año: 2012;

Since 2001, the ?Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres?(EEAOC) has been working on the ?Vitroplantas Project?. On average 70,000 sugarcane seedlings of commercial varieties are produced through in vitro meristem cultures in order to eliminate systemic diseases caused by bacteria and virus. The sanitation of plant material is achieved through in vitro culture of apical meristems from donor plants previously hydro heat-treated and grown for 3 years in greenhouse conditions with anti-aphid screens. Systemic diseases are evaluated in both meristem donor plants and micropropagated seedlings by different molecular diagnostics techniques. It is well known that in vitro plant tissue culture can produce somaclonal variations, which consists of genetic changes in cultured cells and tissues. In order to guarantee that seedlings propagated in vitro are identical to parental varieties a molecular methodology based on molecular markers to quantify and detect somaclonal variation is routinely applied. Thus, the aim of this project is to guarantee healthy and genetically pure seedlings before transfer to the field for seed cane propagation. After propagation and testing, in vitro produced seedlings undergo an acclimatization process in a specially adapted greenhouse at the EEAOC. In order to avoid dehydration of seedlings, the process takes place in a greenhouse environment with very high relative humidity (RH=80-100%) and low light intensity. After greenhouse acclimatization two more stages of conventional field propagation (Basic and Registered), are carried out before the seed cane is finally being distributed among sugarcane growers. The implementation of the project ?Vitroplantas? has greatly improved the health state and improved biomass yields of sugarcane production in Tucuman, Argentina.