Rooting Induction After In Vitro Cold Storage of Cork Oak Cultures

Abstract

Plant tissue culture techniques are the basis for in vitro conservation. The frequent transfer of in vitro cultures onto fresh medium is the simplest preservation method. However, it is costly in terms of laboratory management and can lead to serious problems, e.g., an increased risk of contamination, equipment failure and risks of genetic variation. Those increase with the culture duration in axenic conditions and can lead to the production of plants which are not true to type. These problems can be overcome by reducing the growth rate of cultures, under suboptimal conditions. Reduction of temperature is the most commonly used method for storing cultures in vitro. In this investigation we studied the rooting capacity of cork oak shoots after storage at 5°C for 1 to 12 months.