Abstract
Xyris tennesseensis is a critically endangered species native to the southeastern USA. A micropropagation protocol was developed which may assist in the safeguarding and augmentation of dwindling natural populations of this ecologically and medically valuable plant. Four different batches of seeds were sterilized using hydrogen peroxide and germinated in vitro on modified one third-strength Murashige and Skoog medium. Shoot multiplication from seedling tissue was obtained using modified one third-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 1 mg/l kinetin and 0.1–0.5 mg/l α-naphthaleneacetic acid. Optimal shoot size and sustainable multiplication rates of three to five per 2-mo subculture occurred on medium containing 0.3–0.4 mg/l α-naphthaleneacetic acid. Shoots rooted successfully when placed on growth regulator-free medium for 10 d followed by transfer to greenhouse soil under high humidity. Use of seed cryopreservation resulted in significant increases in germination compared to control treatments with average germination rates of 97%. Shoot tip cultures from soil-grown plants of X. tennesseensis and Xyris spathifolia were also developed using the above protocols. Plant tissue culture tools will assist in the multiplication, long-term storage, and conservation of these rare and valuable plants as well as provide a template for the micropropagation of other Xyris species.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Brian Davis for collecting the seeds. The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Hunter Brinkman, Kylie Bucalo, and Carrie Radcliffe. We also thank the Georgia Institute of Technology for providing the Materials, Supplies and Travel Grant for Undergraduate Research in support of this project. This research was partly funded through a contract with Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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Editor: John Finer
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Johnson, T., Cruse-Sanders, J.M. & Pullman, G.S. Micropropagation and seed cryopreservation of the critically endangered species Tennessee yellow-eye grass, Xyris tennesseensis Kral. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 48, 369–376 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-011-9420-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-011-9420-1