Somatic Embryogenesis and Flow Cytometric Assessment of Nuclear Genetic Stability for Sansevieria spp.: An Approach for In Vitro Regeneration of Ornamental Plants

Abstract

Sansevieria Thunb. species are traditionally known as succulent ornamental plants worldwide. They are also cultivated for medicinal, fodder, soil conservation and fiber uses, and for their capacity to reduce environmental pollution. Sansevieria sexual propagation is limited by the lack of viable seeds, and reproduction is largely made via vegetative propagation by suckers or cuttings. For these reasons, genetic improvement by conventional breeding is limited. To overcome this problem and to address the increasing demand from customers for novel Sansevieria varieties, many commercial companies regularly use in vitro propagation, as is the case in the breeding process of several ornamental plants. In this paper, for the first time, we report a procedure for in vitro somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration starting from three flower explants for seven different Sansevieria genotypes. Regeneration was attempted using stigmas/styles, anther/filament, and ovary which were cultured on a Murashige and Skoog solidified medium under three different plant growth regulator combinations. A good regeneration rate was obtained with all genotypes used under all culture conditions tested from every explant type, with percentages ranging from 0 to 73.3%. “Genetic stability” assessment of regenerated plants in respect to their mother plants was verified through flow cytometry analysis showing a high degree of uniformity, with only S. parva exhibiting a different level of DNA fluorescence among in vitro regenerated plants. This is an interesting achievement in the aim to produce true-to-type plants and new variants with desirable characteristics, both of which are desired features in ornamentals improvement.

Anatomy, ploidy level, and essential oil composition of <i>Hyssopus officinalis</i> ʻNikitskiy Beliyʼ <i>in vitro</i> and <i>ex situ</i>

“…However, newly developed microplants grown from the meristems of the in vitro propagated shoots may show genetic variability (Sliwinska, Thiem, 2007). So, the plants grown in vitro require assessment of their genetic sta-bility using the ploidy level and/or DNA content analysis (Sliwinska, Thiem, 2007;Fritsche et al, 2022b;Catalano et al, 2023), molecular markers (Çetin, 2018;Bulavin et al, 2021), or both methods (Abdolinejad et al, 2020;Raji, Farajpour, 2021).…”

Genomic insights into the clonal reproductive Opuntia cochenillifera: mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes of the cochineal cactus for enhanced understanding of structural dynamics and evolutionary implications

“…Clonal reproduction in O. cochenillifera, while advantageous for certain aspects of cultivation, may inadvertently impede selective breeding processes. This reproductive strategy results in progeny that are genetically identical to the maternal plant, thus limiting gene segregation and, consequently, the potential for genetic diversity (Almeida et al, 2022;Carra et al, 2023). As a species extensively cultivated for various applications, O. cochenillifera, along with other cacti, faces an urgent need for breeding advancements.…”

“…As a species extensively cultivated for various applications, O. cochenillifera, along with other cacti, faces an urgent need for breeding advancements. These improvements are essential for developing high-yielding, quality varieties that can withstand the biotic and abiotic stresses prevalent in their production environments (Gentile and La Malfa, 2022;Carra et al, 2023). In the context of climate change, there is increasing interest in Opuntia for its potential strategic role in arid areas, leveraging its high water-use efficiency (Gentile and La Malfa, 2022;Jorge et al, 2023;Prisa, 2023).…”