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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Griffin, Georgia » Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #112746
Title: EMBRYO RESCUE AND REGENERATION OF DETERIORATED SPECIAL-PURPOSE LEGUME GENETIC RESOURCES: "CROTALARIA, INDIGOFERA, LABLAB PURPUREUS, SENNA" AND "SESBANIA" SPECIES

Author
item Morris, John - Brad
item Hopkins, Mark

Submitted to: Diversity Plant Genetic Resources Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/1999
Publication Date: 3/1/2000
Citation: Morris, J.B., Hopkins, M.S., Embryo rescue and regeneration of deteriorated special-purpose legume genetic resources: genetic resources: "crotalaria, indigofero, lablab purpureus, senna" and "sesbania" species. Diversity plant genetic resources journal, 2000. Diveristy: 16:24-26.

Interpretive Summary: Many of the Crotalaria, Indigofera, Lablab purpureus, Senna and Sesbania plants are economically important in the tropics and subtropics. More than 87 species and 422 accessions of these genera are stored at the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit at Griffin, GA. Even under optimum storage conditions, seed viability and/or seedling vigor decline during long-term storage. We report a technique to rescue old see of Crotalaria, Indigofera, Lablab purpureus, Senna and Sesbania by germinating old seed on a nutrient agar medium in the laboratory and then transplanting the seedlings to soil in a greenhouse. Seed that had been in cold storage for 20 and 33 years produced new shoot and root growth from 83% and 71%, respectively, of the entries when using this technique compared to 2 to 12% recovery when seed were planted directly into soil. Thus, this technique proved extremely useful in the recovery of plants from old seed.

Technical Abstract: Tissue culture regeneration of Crotalaria, Indigofera, Lablab purpureus, Senna and Sesbania species explants from deteriorated seed of these leguminous plants were incubated at an 8:16 hr (light:dark) photoperiod at 26 C on MSB5 medium containing MS salts, B5 vitamins, 20 g/L sucrose, and 8g/L agar. Three-wk old plants regenerated from seed were transplanted to soil in the greenhouse. Thirty-nine samples of deteriorated seed between 2 and 47 yr-old were evaluated. Significant differences in organogenesis were observed between different seed accessions. Shoots and roots were recovered from 60% and 83%, of seed explants. The in vitro rescue of seed can significantly increase the recovery of genetic resources from deteriorated seed of these leguminous species.