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Title: High viability of dormant Malus buds after 10 years of storage in liquid nitrogen vapor

Author
item Volk, Gayle
item Waddell, John
item Bonnart, Remi
item Towill, Leigh
item Ellis, David
item LUFFMAN, MARGIE - AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD

Submitted to: CryoLetters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2007
Publication Date: 5/12/2008
Citation: Volk, G.M., Waddell, J.W., Bonnart, R.M., Towill, L.E., Ellis, D.D., Luffman, M. 2008. High viability of dormant Malus buds after 10 years of storage in liquid nitrogen vapor. CryoLetters 29:89-94.

Interpretive Summary: Three-hundred-sixty-two Malus accessions from Plant Gene Resources of Canada were cryopreserved as dormant buds at the USDA-ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in 1996. According to grafting data collected on 165 of these accessions in 1999, 80% of the accessions had at least 40% viability. Sections of dormant budwood were desiccated to varying extents prior to cooling to liquid nitrogen vapor temperatures. Cryopreserved buds from 13 accessions were warmed and grafted in both 1999 and 2006. We demonstrate that bud viability is high after 10 years of storage in liquid nitrogen vapor. Some accessions had higher bud growth when they were desiccated prior to slow-cooling when compared to those that were not desiccated prior to slow-cooling.

Technical Abstract: Three-hundred-sixty-two Malus accessions from the Canadian Clonal Genebank Plant Gene Resources of Canada were cryopreserved as dormant buds at the USDA-ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in 1996. According to grafting data collected on 165 of these accessions in 1999, 80% of the accessions had at least 40% viability. A subsample of these accessions were processed for cryopreservation by either adjusting the moisture content of the budwood sections containing dormant buds to either 32 or 37% moisture (fresh weight basis) or by not drying the budwood sections (46% moisture fresh weight basis) prior to cooling. Budwood sections were then slow-cooled at 1C per hour to -30C, held for 24 h at -30C and then rapidly transferred to the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen. Cryopreserved buds from 13 accessions that were dried using the various techniques were warmed and grafted in both 1999 and 2006 to determine viability. Overall, bud viability was high at both storage times. At the 10 year timepoint, some accessions had higher bud growth when they were desiccated prior to slow-cooling when compared to those that were not desiccated prior to slow-cooling.