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Submitted to: Crop Science Society Of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: Morris, J.B., Hopkins, M.S. In vitro rescue and regeneration of deteriorated desmodium genetic resources. Crop science society of america 1999. Agronomy abstracts 91:167. Interpretive Summary: Many of the "Desmodium" plants are economically important in the tropics and subtropics. More than 35 species and 225 accessions of this genus 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 seed of "Desmodium" 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 12 and 47 years produced new shoot and root growth from 100% and 95%, respectively, of the entries when using this technique compared to 0 to 10% 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 "Desmodium" species explants from deteriorated see of "Desmodium" species were incubated at an 8 hr photoperiod at 26 C on MSB5 medium containing MS salts, B5 vitamins, 20g/L sucrose, and 8g/L agar. Three-wk old plants regenerated from seed were transplanted to soil inside the greenhouse. Twenty-one samples of deteriorated seed between 12 and 47 yr-old were evaluated. Significant differences in organogenesis were observed between different seed accessions. Shoots and roots were recovered from 100% and 95%, of seed explants in a two year experiment. The "in vitro" rescue of seed can significantly increase the recovery of genetic resources from deteriorated seed of "Desmodium" species. |
