Influence of dehydration on cryopreservation of Musa spp. germplasm

Cryopreservation is an important technique for the long-term storage of economically important plant germplasm. In this study, an efficient protocol was developed for the long-term conservation of seven economically important Musa taxa: M. acuminata Colla ssp. burmannica N.W. Simmonds, M. acuminata Colla ssp. zebrina (Van Houtte) R.E. Nasution, M. balbisiana Colla, M. basjoo Sieb., M. ornata W. Roxburgh (St. Lavender), M. velutina H. Wendl. et Drude (Velvet Pink Banana), and M. acuminata’ balbisiana. The seeds were dehydrated in a sterile laminar flow cabinet for different exposure times and then they were directly immersed in liquid nitrogen. The critical point was to support the initial germination of cryopreserved seeds and this was achieved by the excision of zygotic embryos after liquid nitrogen treatment that allowed the seed germination. The best moisture content for tolerance to cryopreservation ranged from 15.8% (M. acuminata ssp. zebrina) to 17.1% (M. ornata) and the maximum post-cryopreservation germination rates varied from 86.4% (M. velutina) to 55.0% (M. ornata). All seedlings derived from seeds germinated after cryopreservation were easily rooted and acclimated to greenhouse conditions

Development of an optimum proliferation medium via the graph kernel statistical analysis method for genetically stable in vitro propagation of endemic Thymus cilicicus (Turkey)

Thymus cilicicus is an endemic Eastern Mediterranean element that has aromatic-medicinal properties. Its natural population spreads across gravelly ground and open rocky areas of South and Southwest Anatolia. The current study on in vitro propagation of T. cilicicus focused deeply on environmental applications such as the development of an optimum medium composition for efficient and genetically stable micropropagation and improved preservation procedures for long-time conservation of elite germplasms for further studies. For this purpose, MS and OM media were used individually and in combination with cytokinins, charcoal, AgNO3, Fe-EDDHA, and H3BO3. The raw data were statistically analyzed via the graph kernel method to optimize the nonlinear relationship between all parameters. The optimal proliferation medium for T. cilicicus was OM supplemented with a combination of 10 g L-1 charcoal and 1 mg L-1 KIN and the calculated averages of the best regeneration rate, the best shoot number and the best shoot length were 96.89%, 3 and 1.24 respectively on this medium. The determination of genetic stability of in vitro grown plants on the optimum medium compositions obtained by the graph kernel method was carried out with the use of the ISSR-PCR technique. All the ISSR primers produced a total of 192 reproductive band profiles, none of which were polymorphic. Furthermore, the micropropagated plants were successfully rooted and acclimatized to greenhouse conditions. In this study, we present a graph kernel multiple propagation index which considers all the possible parameters needing to be analyzed. Such an index is used for the first time for the determination of the optimum proliferation medium

Cephalaria saldaensis Gokturk, Hamzaoglu & Yuceol 2023, sp. nov.

<i>Cephalaria saldaensis</i> Göktürk, Hamzaoğlu & Yüceol <i>sp. nov.</i> (Figs. 1−2) <p> <b>Type</b>:— TURKEY. Burdur: Yeşilova, Eşeler Mountain, the upper part of Salda Lake, between the ski resort and the fire watchtower, serpentine stony places, 37°27’39.547’’N, 29°39’322’’E, 1880 m a.s.l., 26 August 2022, <i>R.S.Göktürk</i> 8317 & <i>F.Yüceol</i> (holotype AKDU!, isotypes ANK!, GAZI!, HUB!, PAMUH!).</p> <p> <b>Description</b>:—Slender, erect or ascending perennial herbs. Stem up to 1 m tall, simple, longitudinally striate, minute puberulent in the lower and middle part, glabrous in the upper part. Leaves coriaceous, reticulate rugose, minute puberulent; lower leaves simple or lyrate; simple leaves and segments entire or denticulate, acute at apex; simple leaves linear-lanceolate, lanceolate or oblanceolate, 4−10 × 0.4−1.6 cm; lyrate leaves broadly lanceolate in outline, 5−12 × 0.5−2.2 cm, with 1-2 segments, lateral segments oblong or linear-lanceolate, 0.3−1.2 × 0.4−0.7 cm, terminal segments larger than lateral ones, lanceolate or ovate, 2.5−4 × 0.3−1.3 cm; cauline leaves simple, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 3−9 × 0.4−1.4 cm; upper leaves simple, sessile, linear, 0.3−4 × 0.1−0.2 cm. Capitula ovoid, 15−25-flowered, 1−1.6 mm in diameter in flower, 0.4−1 cm in diameter in fruit. Involucral bracts broadly ovate-orbicular, 3−5 × 2−4 mm, pale purple to violet, pilose, margins ciliate, obtuse at apex; receptacular bracts oblanceolate, 6−10 × 2−4 mm, strawcoloured at the base, purple-brown to violet in dorsal and at apex, pilose, margin ciliate, pilose at apex, subacute or acute at apex. Calyx cupuliform, 1 mm in diameter, with irregular teeth. Corolla pale blue, pinkish-purple or white, 8−11 mm long, densely adpressed pilose outside. Involucel 4-angled, 5−8 mm long in fruit, pilose, 4 long and 4 short teeth at apex; long teeth 1.8−2.2 mm long, short teeth 1−1.5 mm long.</p> <p> <b>Distribution and ecology</b>:— <i>Cephalaria saldaensis</i> is endemic to South-WestAnatolia, Turkey (Fig.3). This species grows in serpentine stony places at altitudes between 1380−1880 meters. This endemic new species is associated with other endemics such as <i>Verbascum trapifolium</i> (Stapf 1885: 88) Huber-Morath (1973: 16) var. <i>flabellifolium</i> (HuberMorath 1973: 12) Karavelioğulları & Aytaç (2008: 17), <i>Minuartiella serpentinicola</i> Koç & Hamzaoğlu (2019: 164), <i>Clinopodium troodi</i> (Post 1900: 97) Govaerts (1999: 19) subsp. <i>vardaranum</i> (Leblebici 1974: 76) Govaerts (1999: 19) and non-endemic plants such as <i>Phlomis armeniaca</i> Willdenow (1800: 119), <i>Peucedanum alpinum</i> (Sieber ex Schultes 1820: 414) B.L.Burtt & P.H.Davis (1949: 227), <i>Pinus nigra</i> J.F.Arnold (1785: 8) subsp. <i>pallasiana</i> (Lambert 1828: 2) Holmboe (1914: 29) var. <i>pallasiana</i>, <i>Prometheum sempervivoides</i> (Fischer ex M.Bieberstein) H.Ohba (1978: 169), <i>Sideritis libanotica</i> (1812: 8) Labillardière subsp. <i>linearis</i> (Bentham 1848: 440) Bornmüller (1932: 140), <i>Papaver pilosum</i> Sibthorp & Smith (1809: 360) subsp. <i>strictum</i> (Boissier & Balansa 1859: 8) N.Wendt ex Kadereit (1996: 292), <i>Leontodon hispidus</i> Linnaeus (1753: 799) subsp. <i>hispidus</i>, <i>Campanula stricta</i> Linnaeus (1762: 238) subsp. <i>libanotica</i> (A.D. Candolle 1839: 463) Boissier (1875: 924).</p> <p> <b>Phenology:</b> —Flowering from April to May. Fruiting from May to June.</p> <p> <b>Proposed conservation status:</b> — <i>Cephalaria saldaensis</i> is known only from three adjacent localities with small subpopulations in Eşeler Mountain. It is suggested that this new species should be placed under the IUCN threat category “Critically Endangered (CR)” (IUCN 2019), because the estimated area of occupancy is less than 10 km 2, and only known 1 location, the population size of the new species is estimated to be less than 50 mature individuals in each subpopulation [CR B2ab(ii, iii, v)+C2a(i)]. The population size of the new species may decrease in the near future due to intense grazing pressure and anthropogenic effects.</p> <p> <b>Etymology:</b> —The specific epithet is derived from Salda Lake.</p> <p> <b>Proposed Turkish name for the new species</b>:—Salda pelemiri.</p>Published as part of <i>Göktürk, Ramazan Süleyman, Yüceol, Fulya, Galatali, Selin, Kaya, Ergun, Hamzaoğlu, Ergin & Koç, Murat, 2023, A New Cephalaria (Caprifoliaceae) Species from Turkey, pp. 173-183 in Phytotaxa 587 (2)</i> on pages 175-178, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.587.2.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7731935">http://zenodo.org/record/7731935</a&gt