Regeneration of begonia plantlets by direct organogenesis

The economic importance of ornamentals worldwide suggests a bright future for ornamental breeding. Rapid progress in plant molecular biology has great potentials to contribute to the breeding of novel ornamental plants utilizing recombinant DNA technology. The plant cell, tissue or organ culture of many ornamental species and their regeneration are essential for providing the material and systems for their genetic manipulation, and this is therefore the first requirement of genetic engineering. In this research, different concentration of BA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mgl(-1) with NAA ( 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 mgl(-1)) and BA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mgl(-1)) with IAA ( 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, mgl(-1)) were investigated to optimize regeneration of Begonia elatior cv. Toran orange. The best regeneration and growth were obtained from the media containing 2.0 mgl(-1) BA and 1.0 mgl(-1) NAA (70%) followed by 1.0 mgl(-1) BA and 0.5 mgl(-1) NAA (50%), 1.0 mgl(-1) BA and 1.0 mgl(-1) NAA (20%) in BA - NAA combination. The media with BA - IAA combination showed that the best regeneration was 0.5 mgl(-1) BA and 0.5 mgl(-1) IAA (43%) followed by 0.5 mgl(-1) BA and 1.0 mgl(-1) IAA (23%)

Food-grade sugar can promote differentiation in melon (Cucumis melo L.) tissue culture

The objective of the present study was to investigate the origin of discrepancy between experimental results in in vitro culture of Turkish melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars, conducted by the same individual using the same protocol and same seed batches in two different laboratories. The difference in the sucrose source was found to be the major reason for the deviation in results between the two laboratories. The percentage of regenerating explants and the number of bud-like protuberances and/or shoots were significantly greater when a food-grade Turkish sucrose was used in the medium compared with analytical-grade sucrose. Media formulated with the food-grade sucrose regenerated 37 and 67 % more explants and bud-like protuberances and/or shoots per explant, respectively, than media containing analytical-grade sucrose. No meaningful differences were found in added elements or anions between the sucrose sources or by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy. The only significant chemical difference observed between the sucrose samples was the presence of melanoidins (Maillard reaction products) in the food-grade sucrose. The melanoidins were of high molecular weight (>3,000 Da determined by ultrafiltration), with characteristic ultraviolet-visible spectra and in vitro antioxidant activity. Melanoidin-containing sucrose can be differentiated by color and spectroscopy. © 2012 The Society for In Vitro Biology.Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries / BAYG Office of the Chief Scientist, Ministry of EconomyAcknowledgments Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel, No. 510/11. This work was supported by a fellowship and grant to S. Çürük from the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK/ BAYG) and to VG by the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture, Israel. We are grateful to Dr. B. Steinitz for review of an early version of the manuscript, and to Dr. A.A. Schaffer for helpful comments and assistance

Development of an efficient regeneration protocol for four Cyclamen species endemic to Turkey

In this study, embryo-like structures (ELSs) were induced in four endemic Turkish Cyclamen species (C. cilicium Boiss. et Heldr., C. parviflorum Pobed., C. mirabile Hildebr. and C. pseudibericum Hildebr.) in the presence of 13 combinations of two plant growth regulators (PGRs) (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 6-(?,?-dimethylallylamino)purine) and four explant types (ovules, ovaries, leaves and petioles). The ratio of callus induction, different stages of ELS formation and the conversion of ELSs to plantlets were quantified. The most effective explant types for callus induction were leaves (56 % for C. cilicium and 59 % for C. parviflorum) and petioles (80 % for C. mirabile and 100 % for C. pseudibericum). Callus growth from the leaves and petioles of C. cilicium was 30 days earlier than that of C. mirabile and C. pseudibericum. In contrast, most callus formed from the petioles of C. pseudibericum (100 %) in medium with 2.5 mg l-1 2,4-D and 1 mg l-1 2iP. The highest number of ELSs was obtained succesfully from petioles (2.5 mg l-1 2,4-D and 1 mg l-1 2iP) and ovaries (2.5 mg l-1 2,4-D and 0.5 mg l-1 2iP) of C. pseudibericum, in 39 % and as 32 % of explants, respectively. The percentage conversion of ELSs to plantlets was 38, 31, 16 and 15 % for C. mirabile, C. cilicium, C. pseudibericum and C. parviflorum, respectively. The plantlets were successfully acclimatized in the greenhouse with 54, 70, 63 and 25 % of C. cilicium, C. mirabile, C. pseudibericum and C. parviflorum plantlets, respectively surviving after transfer to ex vitro conditions. This paper describes a unique, reliable and consistent protocol for the induction of ELSs from four endangered endemic Turkish Cyclamen species, opening up the possibility of preserving these valuable genetic resources in vitro and also other applied biotechnologies that rely on a stable embryogenic or callus-based protocol. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht