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Title: Clonal preservation of apricot, peach and nut trees

Author
item Jenderek, Maria
item Ambruzs, Barbara - Bobbie Ambruzs
item Tanner, Justin
item ELLIS, DAVID - International Potato Center
item Postman, Joseph
item POKHAREL, RAMESH - Colorado State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/17/2014
Publication Date: 8/17/2014
Citation: Jenderek, M.M., Ambruzs, B.D., Tanner, J.D., Ellis, D., Postman, J.D., Pokharel, R. 2014. Clonal preservation of apricot, peach and nut trees. Meeting Abstract. International Horticultural Congress, Brisbane, Australia, August 17-22, 2014.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Climate change will affect the geographical area suitable for cultivation of fruit and nut trees; hence, preserving genetic diversity of horticultural trees is imperative for securing our future food supply. Many tree species are preserved as seeds but horticultural cultivars, elite and breeding lines require maintenance as clonal propagules. Long-term preservation of clonal tree germplasm might be done via in vitro-derived meristematic shoots (MS) or vegetative winter buds (VWB). Cost analysis showed using the last type of material was ca. 10 times less expensive than using MS. Our studies investigated the effect of selected factors before bud exposure to liquid nitrogen that might improve post cryopreservation survival of apricot, peach and two species of walnuts. In peach and apricot, the budwood harvest time influenced significantly post cryo viability; however low, the highest viability was observed in branches harvested at the beginning of January. At that time, the content of specific oligosaccharides in the VWB was at its peak. In butternut cv. Henderson, buds harvested at the beginning of December were 90 % viable where material harvest in January was not viable at all. Viability in English walnut was increased in material pre-treated with 1 M sucrose and 20 µM of ABA (60 and 50 vs. 30 % in the control). The results contributed to the improvement of cryopreservation protocols for the two walnut species. Studies on the influence of other than sucrose oligosaccharides and the effect of artificial hardening on post cryopreservation viability of apricot and peach are in progress.