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Micropropagation of thirteen Malus cultivars and rootstocks, and effect of antibiotics on proliferation

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Abstract

Several factors that affect in vitro establishment, proliferation, and rooting of thirteen Malus cultivars and rootstocks were studied. Apple shoot tips (1.5±0.5 cm in length) were established using ascorbic and citric acids as antioxidants. Four proliferation media containing 1.0 mg 1−1 BA and different concentrations of IBA and GA3 were tested. Proliferation rates varied depending on the genotype and medium used. The highest proliferation rate was obtained for a rootstock that produced 11.6±2.5 shoots (1.5±0.8 cm in length) per tube per month. Rooting was induced with IBA for all the genotypes tested. The optimal IBA concentration was cultivar dependent (between 0.1 and 1.0 mg 1−1 IBA), and lower concentrations were necessary to induce rooting in liquid rather than in solid medium.

The effects on shoot-tip proliferation of cefotaxime, carbenicillin and kanamycin, three antibiotics commonly used for transformation studies, were also evaluated. Cefotaxime at 200 mg 1−1 stimulated shoot growth and development, but at 500 mg 1−1 caused abnormal shoot morphology. Carbenicillin at 500 mg 1−1, alone or in combination with cefotaxime at 200 mg 1−1, inhibited proliferation and caused excessive enlargement of the basal leaves, inducing callus formation and release of phenolic compounds in the medium. Kanamycin at 50 mg 1−1 was phytotoxic and caused shoot chlorosis and necrosis. Consideration of the toxicity of these antibiotics is critical when designing transformation schemes for selection and recovery of transgenic apple plants.

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Abbreviations

BA:

benzyladenine

cef:

cefotaxime

crb:

carbenicillin

GA3 :

gibberellic acid

IBA:

indole-3-butyric acid

Kan:

kanamycin

ms:

Murashige and Skoog [19] macro- and micro-nutrients

NAA:

naphthalene-acetic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Pathology Department, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 14456-0462, Geneva, NY, USA

    Luz Marcela Yepes & Herb S. Aldwinckle

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  1. Luz Marcela Yepes
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  2. Herb S. Aldwinckle
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Yepes, L.M., Aldwinckle, H.S. Micropropagation of thirteen Malus cultivars and rootstocks, and effect of antibiotics on proliferation. Plant Growth Regul 15, 55–67 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00024677

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00024677

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