CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Since 2001, Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres has been working on ?Vitroplantas Project?. On average, 55,000 sugarcane seedlings of commercial sugarcane varieties are produced annually through in vitro meristem culture and micropropagation at the lab stage. Hence, this project guarantees health and genetic purity of seedlings. Sanitation of plant material is achieved through in vitro culture of apical meristems from donor plants, hydro-heat-treated previously and held under greenhouse conditions with an anti-aphid screen. Also, systemic diseases are evaluated in both meristem donor plants and micropropagated seedlings by molecular diagnosis. PCR protocols to detect ratoon stunting and leaf scald, and RT-PCR protocols to detect SCMV and SrMV (causal agents of sugarcane mosaic disease) and ScYLS (yellow leaf syndrome) are routinely applied. On the other hand, plant tissue in vitro culture can produce somaclonal variation. Thus, a molecular methodology based on molecular markers to quantify and detect somaclonal variation is routinely applied as a complement of phenotypic evaluation in the field. In cases where this variation occurs, it is possible to detect it before releasing the material thus propagated. The seedlings undergo an acclimatization process in a greenhouse. In order to avoid dehydration, this process takes place in an environment with high relative humidity and low light intensity during the first two weeks. After that, RH is gradually reduced and the intensity of light gradually increased. Regarding productivity, efficiency and safety, propagated plants are quite advantageous. In effect in the short term, old and/or infected materials will be replaced with this healthy material of high yield potential in Tucumán, Argentina.

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