Abstract:The regeneration capacity of six types of explants (segments from hypocotyl, cotyledons, epicotyl, leaf, internodes and petiole) was compared in 13 cultivars of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). Explants were cultured on a regeneration medium containing 1 mg/l zeatin and 0.1 mg/l indole-3-acetic acid. The number of shoot primordia and shoots with 1 or more fully developed leaves was evaluated after 6 weeks. The regeneration capacity was significantly influenced by cultivars and explant types. The total number of shoot primordia produced in all types of explants was highest in the cultivars Hana and Premium and lowest in UC 82 and Money Marker. Cv. Hana also produced the highest number of shoots. The most responsive explants in most cultivars were hypocotyls and epicotyls with up to 100% regeneration and mean production of 6.3 and 6.5 shoot primordia per explant, respectively.

The effect of explant type (immature vs. mature embryos) and two auxin types (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid vs. Dicamba) on the callogenesis and plant regeneration ability of 26 wheat cultivars was studied. In general, the callus induction, plant regeneration and shoot formation frequencies were higher in mature embryo-derived cultures as compared to immature ones on media originally developed for mature wheat embryo cultures. In both culture types, the auxin Dicamba was found to be more efficient, especially when mature embryos were cultured. The separation of means using Duncan’s multiple range test revealed the best in vitro response, in terms of the frequency of callus regeneration, in the cultivar Astella for both immature and mature embryo cultures. This cultivar gave very promising results, suggesting that it could be used in the future for further tissue culture investigations and as a donor material for genetic transformation experiments in wheat. Correlation analyses revealed significant similarities between the evaluated parameters within each group (immature and mature embryo-derived cultures). However, there were no significant correlations between these two groups for most of the parameters. This suggests that the mechanism of plant regeneration in the two in vitro regeneration systems (mature vs. immature embryo culture) may be different enough to hamper the development of an optimal plant regeneration protocol for use in both systems.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants, in comparison to their non-transgenic counterpart, on the density and physiological profiles of aerobic bacteria in the rhizosphere. Plants of transgenic alfalfa expressing the AMVcp-s gene coding for Alfalfa Mosaic Virus coat protein were cultivated in a climatic chamber. Two methods were used to determine the microbial diversity in rhizospheres of transgenic plants. First, the cultivation-dependent plating method, based on the determination of the density of colony-forming bacteria, and second, a biochemical method using the Biolog TM system, based on the utilization of different carbon sources by soil microorganisms. Statistically significant differences in densities of rhizospheric bacteria between transgenic and non-transgenic alfalfa clones were observed in ammonifying bacteria (GTL4/404-1), cellulolytic bacteria (GTL4/404-1, GTL4/402-2, A5-3-3), rhizobial bacteria (GTL4/402-2), denitrifying bacteria (A5-3-3) and Azotobacter spp. (GTL4/402-2). The highest values of substrate utilization by microbial communities and average respiration of C-sources were determined in non-transgenic alfalfa plants of the isogenic line SE/22-GT2. Carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and amino-acids were the most utilized carbon substrates by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Both, the community metabolic diversity and the utilization of C-sources increased in all alfalfa lines with culture time and regardless of transgenic or non-transgenic nature of lines.

Fourteen genetically modified lines of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) containing the gene Ov from Japanese quail, coding for a methionine-rich protein ovalbumin, were evaluated for nodulation ability and concentration of aerobic bacteria in the rhizosphere. The transgenic lines were derived from a highly regenerable genotype Rg9/I-14-22, selected from cv. Lucia. On selective media, a higher concentration of ammonifying bacteria, bacterial spores, denitrifying and nitrifying bacteria were observed in the rhizosphere of transgenic clonesand, on the other hand, lower concentration of cellulolytic bacteria and Azotobacter spp. compared with the rhizosphere of non-transgenic clone SE/22-GT2. A statistically significant difference in the concentration of all the bacterial types was found between samples taken from two types of substrates (i.e. sterile vs. nonsterile). Higher bacterial concentration (measured as colony forming units per g soil dry mass) were observed for all tested groups of culturable bacteria in the non-sterile substrate. The presence of Azotobacter spp. was found only in the rhizosphere of plants grown in non-sterile soil in which the highest number of fertile soil particles (97 %) was observed in transgenic clones SE/22-9-1-12 and SE/22-11-1-1S.1. Concentration of bacteria involved in the N cycle in the soil was increased in the rhizosphere of transgenic clones and decreased in the rhizosphere of non-transgenic plants compared with the average value. In spite of some differences in colony numbers in samples isolated from the root rhizosphere of transgenic and nontransgenic alfalfa plants, we could not detect any statistically significant difference between individual lines.

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a clonally propagated, dioecious, perennial, climbing plant used commercially for their secondary metabolites. The resins containing α- and β-acids, and essential oils produced by the lupulin glands, present on the female flowers are used to add bitterness, aroma and flavour to beer. Recently, flavonoids, including chalcones and flavanones, of hops have been shown to exert a variety of biological activities, including oestrogenic and anticancerogenic characteristics. In this review, we provide a overview of the techniques and opportunities presented by the integration of plant biotechnology into hop improvement. The use of tissue culture techniques such as micropropagation, meristem culture, in vitro storage, adventitious shoot induction, callus culture and cell suspension culture in hops are briefly reviewed. The usefullness of genetic transformation technology to introduce novel traits into hop is also discussed.