In vitro propagation of khinjuk pistachio (Pistacia khinjuk stocks) through seedling apical shoot tip culture

An efficient method was developed for in vitro propagation of Pistacia khinjuk (khinjuk pistachio). Shoot cultures were established from aseptically germinated seedlings of khinjuk pistachio. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with Gamborg's vitamins containing 30 g P sucrose, 100 mg l(-1) I-ascorbic acid, 1 mg l(-1) BA and 7 g l(-1) agar resulted in multiple shoot initiation at the rate of 7.25 +/- 0.95 shoots per explant in 28 days of culture. Efficient rooting was achieved in MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg l(-1) IBA. The in vitro raised plants were acclimatized in a growth room and transplanted to the field successfully. The method described will be useful for rapid multiplication of khinjuk pistachio for commercial exploitation

Prevention of Shoot Tip Necrosis Responses in In Vitro-proliferated Mature Pistachio Plantlets

[Abstract Not Available

Micropropagation of mature male pistachio Pistacia vera L.

Factors affecting the successful rapid proliferation and rooting of male pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) cv. Ath, were studied. The most suitable type of cytokinin [6 benzyladenine (BA), kinetin (Kin), or thidiazuron (TDZ)], and the effect of eight different concentrations of BA (0.0675, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, or 8.0 mg l(-1)) were evaluated to optimise shoot proliferation. The auxins alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), each at 2.0 mg l(-1), or different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, or 8.0 mg l(-1)) of IBA, and the effect of explant size (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0 cm) were assessed for root induction. The highest number of new microshoots per explant (5.64 +/- 0.07) was obtained 4 weeks after culturing on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l(-1) BA. Again, shoot length was highest in 1.0 mg l(-1) BA, and decreased as the BA concentration increased. IBA was most effective in promoting root formation. The highest rooting frequency (73%) of microshoots was recorded for explants 4.0 cm in length, 4 weeks after culturing. In vitro-rooted plantlets were transferred to polyethylene pots filled with a 1:1:1 (v/v/v) mixture of soil, sand and peat. This treatment resulted in 90% survival of plantlets, which were acclimatised in a greenhouse

Current status and conservation of Pistacia germplasm

The genetic erosion of Pistacia germplasm has been highlighted in many reports. In order to emphasize this and to focus more attention on this subject, national and international (especially IPGRI and IFAR) institutions have initiated projects proposing to characterize, collect and conserve Pistacia germplasm. Therefore, this paper reviews recent research concerning conventional (in situ and ex situ) and unconventional biotechnological conservation strategies applied to the preservation of Pistacia germplasm. As regards conventional conservation, the majority of germplasm collections of Pistacia species are preserved on farms (in situ) and in seed and field genebanks (ex situ), as well as in the wild, where they are vulnerable to unexpected weather conditions and/or diseases. Hence, complementary successful unconventional in vitro methods (organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis and micrografting) and slow-growth storage conditions for medium-term preservation of Pistacia are presented together with the morphological and molecular studies carried out for the characterization of its species in this review. Moreover. special attention is additionally focused on cryopreservation (dehydration- and vitrification-based one-step freezing techniques) for the long-term preservation of Pistacia species. Possible basic principles concerning the establishment of a cryobank for the successful conservation of Pistacia germplasm are also discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

In vitro micropropagation of almond (Amygdalus communis L. cv. Nonpareil)

An efficient in vitro propagation method was developed for almond (Amygdalus communis L. cv. Nonpareil). The effect of BA and kinetin (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 mgl-1) on the culture initiation of zygoticembryos isolated from mature seeds was investigated. A Murashige and Skoog (1962) (MS) medium containing 30 gl-1 sucrose, 0.5 and 1.0 mgl-1 N6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 7 gl-1 agar resulted in amultiple shoot initiation at the rate of 11.0 ± 1.32 and 14.7 ± 2.12 shoot per explant, respectively, in 28 days of culture. The effects of a low concentration of BA (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mgl-1) and differentcombinations of auxin + cytokinin were investigated for shoot proliferation. The best results for new shoot production were obtained from a MS culture medium which was supplemented with 1.0 mgl-1 BA.The rooting was achieved in a ½ MS medium supplemented with 8.0 mgl-1 indole acetic acid (IAA). The in vitro raised plants were acclimatized in a growth room and successfully transplanted to the field.This method here in described will be useful for the rapid multiplication of almond (A. communis L. cv. Nonpareil) in commercial exploitation