-Through in vitro tissue culture techniques it is possible to propagate high quality nursery plants faster. Cryotherapy is a promising tool, based on in vitro culture techniques, for achieving in a short time, high frequency of regenerating plants free of viruses. The objective of this review is to present and analyze the results of research conducted in cryotherapy methods based on cryopreservation protocols for recovery of cultivars free of micro-organisms with potential agronomic interest. The main methods employed in cryotherapy are encapsulation-dehydration, vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and droplet vitrification, which are based on the immersion of preconditioned shoot tips in liquid nitrogen, followed by their recovery in vitro on to culture media for regeneration of healthy plantlets. Improvements to cryotherapy protocols used for grapevine are still needed, since there are variations in response according to the genotype. The published research mostly relates to Vitis vinifera and the few studies applied to other species show that the protocols need to be improved. This specificity goes beyond species, with different responses among cultivars, limiting the broader application of the technology. On the other hand, traditional methods used for virus removal from infected plant materials also have limitations and therefore investment in research for the development and application of cryopreservation techniques is highly justified, considering its efficiency and low-cost, once the protocols are developed. High frequency of virus-free plants among regenerants within a short time frame is the most desirable aspect of cryotherapy. Therefore, these advantages make the technique a promising tool for institutions mandated to the development of high-health planting materials with high genetic and agronomic potential for viticulture. Index Terms: Vitis, encapsulation-dehydration, encapsulation-vitrification, vitrification, droplet-vitrification, plant disease.
CRIOTERAPIA: UMA NOVA TÉCNICA PARA OBTENÇÃO DE PLANTAS DE VIDEIRA LIVRES DE VIROSESRESUMO -Por meio de técnicas de cultura de tecidos in vitro é possível propagar plantas matrizes de alta qualidade, mais rápido. A crioterapia é uma ferramenta promissora, baseada em técnicas de cultura in vitro para obtenção em curto espaço de tempo de alta frequência de plantas regenerantes livres de viroses. O objetivo desta revisão é apresentar e analisar os resultados de pesquisas realizadas em métodos de crioterapia, baseados em protocolos de criopreservação, para recuperação de cultivares de videiras livres de microorganismos e com potencial de interesse agronômico. Os principais métodos utilizados para crioterapia são encapsulamento-desidratação, encapsulamento-vitrificação, vitrificação e vitrificação de gota, os quais se fundamentam na imersão de ápices meristemáticos pré-condicionados em nitrogênio líquido, seguido por sua recuperação in vitro em meios de cultura para regeneração de plântulas saudáveis. Melhorias para protocolos de crioterapia ...