Abstract
To evaluate the feasibility of long-term cryopreservation of Polish provenances of silver birch (Betula pendula), the sensitivity of conditionally dormant seeds to extreme desiccation and/or the ultra-low temperature of liquid nitrogen (LN; −196°C) was evaluated. The critical water content (WC) of desiccated seeds and the high-moisture freezing limit of seeds desiccated or moistened to various WCs and frozen for 24 h or for 2 years in LN was also determined. Germination tests revealed no critical WC for seeds [to 0.02 g H2O g−1 dry mass (g g−1)]. Seeds tolerated freezing in LN within specific safe range of WC 0.02–0.23 g g−1 (nuts). Seeds desiccated to the safe WC and stored in LN for 2 years had similar or higher germination as seeds stored at −3°C for 2 years, depending on provenance. Therefore, long-term cryopreservation of B. pendula seeds in gene banks is feasible.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Elżbieta Drzewiecka-Pieniężna and Anna Całka for providing technical assistance during the experiments in Kórnik. Partial financial support from the State Committee for Scientific Research, Poland, Grant no. 5 P06H 057 18, is also gratefully acknowledged.
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Communicated by F. Corbineau.
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Chmielarz, P. Cryopreservation of conditionally dormant orthodox seeds of Betula pendula . Acta Physiol Plant 32, 591–596 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-009-0437-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-009-0437-6