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Improving tolerance of somatic emrbyos of Picea glauca to flash desiccation with a cold treatment (desiccation after cold acclimation)

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Summary

Controlled mild desiccation of mature white spruce somatic embryos prior to germination improves the quality of the germinated embryos. More severe desiccation results in increased injury and death but is desirable for long-term storage of embryos and production of desiccated artificial seed. A method was developed to improve desiccation tolerance in somatic embryos using a temperature treatment. Culture plates with embryos at four stages of development were subjected to temperatures of 1, 5, 10, or 20°C for periods of 0, 1, 2, 4, or 8 wk duration. After the temperature treatment, the embryos were harvested and air-dried for 2h under a laminar flow hood. Dried embryos were placed directly on germination medium and the quality of the germinants was assessed after 4 wk. The initial maturation stage of the embryo and the temperature and duration of the treatment had a significant effect on the quality of the germinants. Most treatments caused marked differential survival of organs. The optimal response was obtained with embryos that had been grown for 51 d (cotyledonary stage) on maturation medium and that were subsequently exposed to a temperature of 5°C for 8 wk prior to air drying. This treatment produced 58% undamaged germinants with normal cotyledons, hypocotyls, and roots. Only 1% of the untreated air-dried embryos germinated normally.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, P.O. Box 4000, E3B 5P7, Fredericton, N.B., Canada

    Sharon E. Pond & Jan M. Bonga

  2. Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3020, V8N 3N5, Victoria, B.C., Canada

    Patrick von Aderkas

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  1. Sharon E. Pond
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  2. Patrick von Aderkas
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  3. Jan M. Bonga
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Correspondence to Sharon E. Pond.

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Pond, S.E., von Aderkas, P. & Bonga, J.M. Improving tolerance of somatic emrbyos of Picea glauca to flash desiccation with a cold treatment (desiccation after cold acclimation). In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 38, 334–341 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1079/IVP2002304

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/IVP2002304

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