Teixeira da Silva J.A.

Novel factors affecting shoot culture of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema × grandiflora) [Nauji veiksniai įtakojantys chrizantemų (Dendranthema × grandiflora) ūglių kultūrų auginimą]

Abstract Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema × grandiflora (Ramat.) Kitamura) continues to be one of the most important ornamental plants in the world. Although the tissue culture of chrysanthemum has been widely explored, several unexplored topics remain, and, in developing countries, there is always the constant search for reducing the cost of raising tissue cultured plants. In this study, by focusing on a leading market cultivar in Japan, ‘Shuhou-no-chikara’, alternatives to agar (as the gelling agent) and sucrose (as the carbon source) for chrysanthemum tissue culture were sought. Both Gellan gum and agar resulted in greater shoot and root production than all other gelling agents tested, including Bacto agar, phytagel, oatmeal agar, potato dextrose agar, barley starch and corn starch. All of the alternative liquid-based medium additives tested (low and full fat milk, Coca-cola®, coffee, Japanese green, Oolong and Darjeeling teas) negatively impacted plant growth, stunted roots and decreased chlorophyll content (SPAD value) of leaves. There was no difference between plants grown on medium with refined sucrose or table sugar, although poor growth was observed when stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) extract was used. Photoautotrophic micropropagation increased significantly the shoot mass relative to control plants, even when the density of plants was doubled. Aeration improved plantlet growth. The tetrazolium test was a simple, but effective essay to see the intensity and strength of root growth in different basal media. MDH activity decreased in the root+shoot extract of plants grown on most alternative media, but remained high on TCSGM (Teixeira’s chrysanthemum shoot growth medium), Gellan gum, aerated and CO2-enriched cultures. A similar trend was observed for deaminating GDH, while an opposite trend was observed for aminating GDH activity. These experiments indicate that tissue culture research for chrysanthemum still provides a rich field for exploration with interesting and valuable results.

Doi https://doi.org/10.2478/botlit-2014-0004

Keywords agar, alternative gelling agents, milk, oatmeal agar, table sugar

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