ISHS Acta Horticulturae 457: Symposium on Plant Biotechnology as a tool for the Exploitation of Mountain Lands
THE EFFECT OF PVP ON CHESTNUT CALLUS FORMATION |
| Authors: | M.R. Abenavoli, A.M. Pennisi |
| Keywords: | Castanea sativa, in vitro, tissue culture, tannins, autointoxication |
| Abstract:
In vitro culture of woody plants is a valuable method for obtaining regenerated plants, particularly for those species difficult to propagate by traditional techniques. Tissue and organ culture appear to be the most desirable methods for vegetative propagation of chestnut and can be also used to study biochemical and physiological host-pathogen interactions as well as to obtain disease-resistant clones. The present work describes a method for producing chestnut callus from the young leaves of mature trees of Castanea sativa. Insoluble polyphenolic acids released from chestnut explants into the culture medium induce necrosis followed by the death of explants. To overcome this problem we used two procedures. According to the first procedure explants were treated with polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP), sterilized, dipped for about 1-h in sterile water and cultured. The second method was based on the use of PVP included in the culture medium of both the first and second tissue transfers. The amount of tannins released by the explants was correlated with the culture medium used, and was higher in Murashige and Skoog (MS) than in Gamborg B5 medium (B5). PVP treatments reduce tissues browning, whereas B5 induces a better callus formation than MS. This latter medium, on the contrary, allowed a better growth and maintenance of already established callus. The B5 medium, probably, limits the diffusion of phenol compounds as a consequence of a low salt concentration. | |
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