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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #139569
Title: IN VITRO PRESERVATION OF BERMUDA GRASS GERMPLASM

Author
item Reed, Barbara
item WANG, NAN - OREGON STATE UNIV
item DACHINO, JEFF - 5358-15-00
item BARKER, REED - 5358-05-00

Submitted to: Proceedings of the IAPTC Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Many types of Bermuda grass are propagated by stolens and must be maintained as growing plants for germplasm preservation. Cryopreservation, storing shoot tips in liquid nitrogen at -196 C, provides an alternative to keeping large numbers of growing plants in greenhouses. We tested a diverse group of Bermuda grasses to determine if cryopreservation would be an appropriate technique for backup germplasm storage. We evaluated a diverse group of Cynodon species and selections including: Cynodon barberi; C. dactylon vars. afghanicus, dactylon, aridus, coursii, elegans and polevansii; C. nlemfuensi vars. nlemfuensis, robustus; C. incompletus var. incompletus; C. aethiopicus; C. arcuatus; C. incompletus var. hirsutus; C. plectostachyus; C. radiatus; C. transvaalensis; C. dactlyon x C. transvaalensis; C. dactylon x C. nlenfuensis. Seventeen of the 23 accessions (74%) had greater than 40% regrowth. The remaining accessions had 20-38% regrowth. Fifty meristems of each of 34 Cynodon accessions were stored and are now held as a base collection in liquid nitrogen at the National Center for Germplasm Resources Preservation (NCGRP) in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Technical Abstract: Genetic conservation of vegetatively propagated grasses requires constant care of pot cultures or carefully separated field plots. Medium and long-term storage procedures to safeguard this germplasm would be more cost effective and provide a backup for field or greenhouse germplasm collections. Cynodon (Bermuda grass) germplasm is mostly stored as growing plants. We evaluated a diverse group of Cynodon species and selections for storage in liquid nitrogen at -196 C including: Cynodon barberi; C. dactylon vars. afghanicus, dactylon, aridus, coursii, elegans and polevansii; C. nlemfuensi vars. nlemfuensis, robustus; C. incompletus var. incompletus; C. aethiopicus; C. arcuatus; C. incompletus var. hirsutus; C. plectostachyus; C. radiatus; C. transvaalensis; C. dactlyon x C. transvaalensis; C. dactylon x C. nlenfuensis. In-vitro grown shoots were cold acclimated for 4 weeks and 0.8 mm shoot tips were encapsulated in alginate beads, pretreated in sucrose solutions, dried under laminar flow for 6 h and immersed in liquid nitrogen for at least 1 h. Regrowth of cryopreserved shoot tips ranged from 20% to 90%. Seventeen of the 23 accessions (74%) had greater than 40% regrowth. The remaining accessions had 20-38% regrowth. Fifty encapsulated meristems of each of 34 Cynodon accessions were stored and are now held as a base collection in liquid nitrogen at the National Center for Germplasm Resources Preservation (NCGRP) in Fort Collins, Colorado.