Viability of Red (Ribes rubrum L.) and Black (Ribes nigrum L.) Currant Cuttings in Field Conditions after Cryopreservation in Vapors of Liquid Nitrogen

Abstract

One of the prospective ways to safely preserve the genetic resources of red and black currant for breeding needs is the cryopreservation of cuttings with dormant buds. Vegetative cuttings of 12 varieties of red and 11 varieties of black currant were harvested in various regions of Russia: North, Northwest, and Central. Their viability after cryopreservation in nitrogen vapors (about −184 °C) under field conditions was studied. For red currant samples, it ranged from 61.2 ± 1.2% to 72.3 ± 3.0%, black currant—from 58.9 ± 1.1% to 73.5 ± 1.9%. In the group of red currant varieties, there were no significant differences in viability between varieties after cryopreservation. In the group of black currant varieties, “Chereshneva” and “Georgiy” had lower viability after storage in liquid nitrogen vapors than the others, 61.1% and 58.9%, respectively. On red currant, dry growing conditions of the experiment year significantly decreased the viability after cryopreservation. Neither black nor red currants revealed the influence of the place of harvesting on the survival of cuttings after cryopreservation. These results indicate the possibility of using cryopreservation to preserve cuttings of red and black currant with dormant buds collected in regions with different climatic environments.

Conservation of the Bird Cherry (Padus Mill.) Germplasm by Cold Storage and Cryopreservation of Winter Cuttings

“…Cold storage and cryopreservation had no significant effect on fruit quality in all accessions tested. In our previous works we noted that blackcurrant berries are less susceptible to the effects of cryopreservation, as assessed by mean berry mass, berry mass loss and levels of solids, organic acids, and vitamin C [30]. In gooseberry plants grown after cryopreservation, an increase in mean berry mass, levels of solids, vitamin C and carbohydrates, and a decrease in the levels of organic acids was observed [30].…”

“…Improved varieties of bird cherry with high nutritional and decorative values were developed in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden after crossbreeding with the chokecherry. At present, intensive research and breeding of the bird cherry aims to develop new cultivars with higher fruit quality; therefore, chemical composition of fruits including sugars and ascorbic acid content is of primary importance [28][29][30].…”

Successful Cryopreservation of Dormant Buds of Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) by Using Greenhouse-Grown Plants and In Vitro Recovery

“…In a previous study, the recovery of the winter buds of nine blackcurrant cultivars rehydrated 7 days before plunging into liquid nitrogen was successful via in vitro but not by grafting [ 42 ]. However, recovery by budding was reported to be successful for blackcurrant cuttings desiccated with a moisture content of 28–32% at −4 °C prior to the two-step cryopreservation [ 44 ].…”

“…In the context of the renewal of new field collection, the need to create a cryopreserved backup collection was identified. Blackcurrant can be cryopreserved by using explants excised from tissue cultures [38][39][40][41] or by using dormant buds [42][43][44]. Cryopreservation success of blackcurrant varies depending on cultivar.…”

“…Previously, we also studied the cryopreservation of dormant blackcurrant buds using greenhouse and field-maintained source plants of the cultivar Mortti, and we reported the estimated post-cryopreservation recovery of buds in vitro from 66 to 86% [ 43 ]. In eleven blackcurrant cultivars, a post-cryopreservation viability of dormant buds from 58.9 ± 1.1% to 73.5 ± 1.9% in field conditions was reported [ 44 ].…”