Photoautotrophic and photomixotrophic growth of strawberry plantlets in vitro and changes in nutrient composition of the medium

Abstract

Explants excised from strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) plantlets were cultured in vitro for 21 days on half-strength MS (Murashige & Skoog 1962) basal liquid medium with 20 g l^-1 sucrose and without sugar in the vessels capped with gas permeable microporous polypropylene film. The experiments were conducted under CO₂ nonenriched (350–450 μmol mol^-1 in the culture room) and CO₂ enriched (2,000 μmol mol^-1 during the photoperiod in the culture room) conditions with a PPF (photosynthetic photon flux) of 200 μmol m^-2 s^-1. The CO₂ concentration in the vessels decreased to approximately 200 μmol mol^-1 during the photoperiod on day 21 under CO₂ nonenriched conditions. The fresh and dry weight, net photosynthetic rate (NPR) per plantlet, NPR per g leaf fresh weight, NPR per g leaf dry weight, the number of unfolded leaves, and ion uptake of PO₄ ^3-, NO₃ ^-, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and K⁺ on day 21 were the greatest under photoautotrophic (no sugar in the medium) and CO₂ enriched conditions. The residual percent of PO₄ ^3- was 3% on day 21 under photoautotrophic and CO₂ enriched conditions.