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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301355
Title: Screening genetically diverse pear species for in vitro CaCl2, MgSO4 and KH2PO4 requirements

Author
item WADA, SUGAE - Oregon State University
item MAKI, SHINYA - Niihama National College Of Technology
item Niedz, Randall
item Reed, Barbara

Submitted to: Acta Physiologiae Plantarum
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/16/2015
Publication Date: 6/12/2015
Publication URL: http://DOI 10.1007/s11738-014-1754-y
Citation: Wada, S., Maki, S., Niedz, R.P., Reed, B.M. 2015. Screening genetically diverse pear species for in vitro CaCl2, MgSO4 and KH2PO4 requirements. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 37, 63 DOI 10.1007/s11738-014-1754-y.

Interpretive Summary: Conservation of important plants is often difficult due to the specific growth requirements of genetically diverse species. This also applies to in vitro culture collections where a wide range of plants may have poor growth or do not grow at all on standard media. A series of mineral nutrition studies identified the calcium, magnesium and phosphorous components of growth medium as the most influential for producing high quality shoots for five pears. , This study evaluated 18 diverse pears in six species to determine the effect of increasing concentrations these nutrients on shoot growth and plant quality. All 18 pears had improved growth for some of the growth responses. Analysis of five elements (Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, and K) detected substantially higher concentrations of Ca, Mg and K, but significantly less Fe, in the shoots cultured with increased nutrients than in MS controls.

Technical Abstract: Conservation of important plant germplasm is often difficult due to the specific growth requirements of genetically diverse species. This also applies to in vitro culture collections where a wide range of plants may have suboptimal growth or remain recalcitrant to growth on standard media. A series of mineral nutrition studies utilizing surface response design identified the mesos components (CaCl2, MgSO4, KH2PO4) of Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) as the most influential for producing high quality shoots for five pear genotypes. Extending these results to a germplasm collection, this study evaluated 18 genotypes in six species to determine the effect of increasing concentrations of meso nutrients on shoot growth and quality. Overall all 18 genotypes had improved growth for some of the measured responses. With increased mesos, seven of nine P. communis cultivars had improved shoot quality; five had significantly increased shoot length and two increased shoot numbers. Two of four P. pyrifolia cultivars on higher mesos had improved quality and three reduced leaf spots. The responses of P. calleryana ‘Capital’ P. koehnei, P. cordata and P. ussuriensis ‘Hang Pa Li’ and ‘Harbin’ were more diverse but all improved for some responses. Quantitative ion analysis of five elements (Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, and K) detected substantially higher concentrations of Ca, Mg and K, but significantly less Fe, in the shoots cultured with increased mesos than in MS controls.