Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #285971
Title: Developmental anatomy of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Aurora’) shoot regeneration

Author
item PIZZOLATO, THOMPSON - University Of Delaware
item Polashock, James
item THOMAS, KATE - University Of Delaware
item KITTO, SHERRY - University Of Delaware

Submitted to: In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/26/2014
Publication Date: 10/2/2014
Citation: Pizzolato, T.D., Polashock, J.J., Thomas, K.L., Kitto, S.L. 2014. Developmental anatomy of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Aurora’) shoot regeneration. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Plants. 50:722-728.

Interpretive Summary: Various techniques are available to propagate clones of blueberry plants. The specific methods employed affect the efficiency of the process. We sought to optimize methodology for propagating blueberry plants from leaf tissue. We tested various plant hormones for their effect on development of plants from treated leaves and describe optimal conditions to propagate blueberry plants from leaves in approximately 21 days. Our results will be useful to research scientists and nurseries that are interested in propagating clones of selected blueberry plants.

Technical Abstract: The culture of Vaccinium corymbosum L. ’Aurora’ leaves on regeneration medium results in the regeneration of adventitious shoots. We present anatomical evidence that these new shoot apices are directly regenerated from the cultured blades. Mounds of densely staining cells, which formed from epidermis and parenchyma near the vascular bundles within seven days, developed into adventitious shoots by 21 days. Direct regeneration was confirmed by the continuous connection between the vasculature of the regenerant and the vasculature of the explant. While adventitious shoots regenerated from either the adaxial or abaxial leaf surfaces, shoots preferentially regenerated from the adaxial surface regardless of the leaf surface in contact with the medium.