Factors Affecting Pigment Levels During Re-Greening of Valencia Orange

Seasonal changes in pigment levels were found to coincide with five colouring stages: green, colouring, orange, yellowing and re-greening. The changes in pigment levels mainly causing re-greening are a result of a reduction in carotenoids and an increase in chlorophyll levels after the carotenoids reach their maximum and the chlorophylls their minimum levels during the orange stage. More chlorophyll a than b occurs while the fruit is green, but it starts to fall below the chlorophyll b level during the colouring stage and thereafter. This happens in the re-greening cultivars of Citrus sinensis such as Valencia and Lane Late Navel oranges, but not in the non-re-greening cultivars such as Leng and Washington Navels. These changes in pigment levels appear to be related to increasing-light intensities during spring and summer and to hormonal control from seeds and/or the rootstock.     

Storage performance of clementines treated with hot water,sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate dips

Summary

The potential of using hot water (2.5 min at 45°C), 2% sodium carbonate or 2% sodium bicarbonate solutions alone or combined with hot water, for control of Penicillium digitatum (green mould) was investigated on commecially ripe clementines. The effect of such treatments on the post-harvest storage life of clementines was determined during two months analysing weight loss, increase in rind deformation and internal maturity. Carbonate and bicarbonate solutions effectively control green mould during storage but hot water does not. Compared with the control and hot-water treated fruits, clementines treated with carbonate and, to a lesser extend with bicarbonate, showed higher weight loss and lower firmness during storage. In contrast, lower increase in ripening index was found when the fruits were treated with carbonate or bicarbonate. Fruits treated with hot water alone or combined with carbonate exhibited no change in ripening during the first month of storage. Rinsing the fruit significantly reduces weight and firmness loss in the fruits treated with carbonate and bicarbonate, but did not change the ripening index. The primary finding of this work was that carbonate and bicarbonate treatments might significantly increase the loss in weight and firmness during storage. Rinsing the fruit immediately after treatment appeared to be a simple solution to avoid these losses in quality.     

Postharvest UV-C treatment combined with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), followed by storage in continuous low-level ethylene atmosphere,improves the quality of tomatoes

Mature green tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv Neang Pich) were exposed to 13.6 kJ m^?2 UV-C or 0.5 μL L^?1 1-MCP or combination of 13.6 kJ m^?2 UV-C and 0.5 μL L^?1 1-MCP, with appropriate untreated controls. After treatment, tomatoes were stored in air containing 0.1 μL L^?1 ethylene at 20°C and 100% RH. The untreated fruit ripened significantly faster than those of all other treatments. UV-C treatment alone was able to delay fruit ripening by up to 5 days longer compared to untreated fruits whilst the additional of 1-MCP further delayed fruit ripening. UV-C and 1-MCP treatments alone or in combination had significantly slower ethylene production rates throughout the storage period. The fruit treated with the combination of 1-MCP and UV-C was significantly firmer and had higher total phenolic content compared to that of the other treatments. However, there was no difference between treatments in soluble solids content/titratable acids ratio, chlorophyll content, lycopene content and total antioxidant activity. These results show that UV-C and 1-MCP treatment delay ripening and improve the quality of tomatoes in the presence of low-level ethylene during storage. This new treatment could be used to extend the shelf-life of mature green tomatoes through the supply chain without the use of refrigeration.     

Induction of resistance to Penicillium digitatum and chilling injury in ‘Star Ruby’ grapefruit by a short hot-water rinse and brushing treatment

Summary

Postharvest heat treatments have been used for many years as alternatives to chemical control of fungal diseases and insect infestation of fruits and vegetables. In this study, the effects of a new hot-water brushing (HWB) treatment on the resistance of red grapefruit (C. paradisi cv. Star Ruby) to green mould decay caused by Penicillium digitatum (Pers.: Fr.) Sacc. and on the development of chilling injury (CI) symptoms during cold storage were examined. The HWB treatment comprises rinsing hot water on the fruits as they move along a belt of brush rollers. A twenty second HWB treatment at 59 or 62° reduced decay, after arti®cial inoculation of wounded fruit, by 52 or 70%, respectively, compared with control unwashed fruit, whereas rinsing and brushing the fruit with tap water (~20°) or with hot water at 53 or 56°, were ineffective. HWB treatments applied 1–3 d prior to inoculation were most effective in enhancing the disease resistance of fruit, but were much less effective when the fruit were inoculated on the same day or 7.d later. HWB treatments at 59 or 62° for 20.s also significantly reduced the CI index and the percentage of fruit displaying CI symptoms by 42 and 58%, respectively, after six weeks’ storage at 2° and an additional week at 20°. Furthermore, HWB treatments cleaned the fruit and improved its general appearance without causing any surface damage, and did not influence fruit weight loss, percentage of total soluble solids (TSS) in the juice, juice acidity or fruit colour.     

Antimicrobial,Antioxidant, and Antimutagenic Activities of Five Turkish Pear Cultivars

The pear (Pyrus spp.) is one of the most important fruits consumed in daily life. The aim of this study was to determine the total phenolic and ascorbic acid contents, as well as the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antimutagenic activities, of various pear cultivars. The fruits of five pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivars (‘Deveci’, ‘Kizil’, ‘Egirsah’, ‘Gugum’, and ‘Banda’) were used in this study. It was determined that the peel and pulp of the ‘Kizil’ pear had the highest total phenolic content (402.5?mg/100?g and 215.2?mg/100?g, respectively), while those of the ‘Banda’ pear had the lowest total phenolic content (326?mg/100?g and 126.1?mg/100?g, respectively). Additionally, the ‘Kizil’ pear showed the highest antioxidant capacity in the 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric-reducing ability assay (FRAP) (1.72 μmol TE/g FW and 161.25?μmol Fe II/g FW, respectively) and the highest ascorbic acid content (16.02?mg/100?g). The ‘Banda’ pear showed the highest antibacterial activity against the test bacteria. However, none of the pear extracts displayed antifungal activity. While all doses of the ‘Kizil’, ‘Gugum’, and ‘Banda’ pear extracts used in this study, except 80?μL/plate, exhibited antimutagenic activities, only the lowest dose (10?μL/plate) of the ‘Deveci’ pear extract showed the antimutagenic activity against induced mutagenesis in the Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 strain. Consequently, the five Turkish pear cultivars used in this study exhibited different levels of antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antimutagenic activities.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the CrDAT gene and selection of transgenic periwinkle lines with a high vincristine accumulation

Catharanthus roseus contains vincristine and vinblastine, which are outstanding drugs for cancer. In the biosynthetic pathways of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) in C. roseus, deacetylvindoline 4-O-acetyltransferase (DAT) is a key enzyme that catalyses the last reaction of vindoline biosynthesis to form vinblastine and vincristine. In this study, the CrDAT transgene was transferred into the periwinkle by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and generated transgenic periwinkle lines with an increase in vincristine accumulation. The C. roseus DAT gene was introduced into C. roseus plants and it was confirmed that CrDAT was successfully transferred into the genome of periwinkle plants and efficiently translated to synthesise recombinant DAT protein. Four transgenic periwinkle lines in T1 generation, T1-1, T1-3, T1-6, and T1-7, expressed recombinant DAT protein with the total protein content in the range of 2.86 μg.mg^?1 to 5.12 μg.mg^?1. Moreover, the vincristine contents of four transgenic lines increased by 1.63?2.48-fold compared to non-transgenic plants, ranging from 6.91 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight) to 10.53 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight). The T1-1 line had the highest vincristine content. Hence, the overexpression of the recombinant DAT protein can improve the vincristine accumulation of transgenic C. roseus plants.

Abbreviation: CrDAT - Catharanthus roseus Deacetylvindoline-4-O-Acetyl Transferase; D4H - Deacetoxyvindoline 4-hydroxylase; ELISA - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Monoterpene indole alkaloid; T0, T1 - Generations of transgenic plants; TIAs - Terpenoid indole alkaloids; WT- The wild-type tobacco plants (non transgenic plant); 35S - Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter     

Assessing the influence of subcultures and liquid medium during somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

The current analysis describes an improved protocol for somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) through liquid medium, and assesses the influence of successive subcultures during induction of calluses in three Brazilian oil palm varieties. Calluses were induced in a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 450 Picloram, 0.5 g L^?1 glutamine, 2.5 g L^?1 activated charcoal, 30 g L^?1 sucrose, and solidified with 2.5 g L^?1 Phytagel. In a first experiment, the effect of continued subculture of explants every 30 days to fresh culture medium was determined. During a second experiment, part of the embryogenic calluses obtained were transferred to a liquid medium under agitation, consisting of MS with 5 µM picloram or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). After 210 days, the calluses were transferred to semi-solid media for differentiating somatic embryos. It was observed that continued subculture of explants monthly was a determinant in stimulating and improving the formation of embryogenic calluses. Embryogenic calluses in liquid medium with 2,4-D significantly improved the percentage of differentiated somatic embryos (up to 80.2%), with the largest amount of torpedo embryos (8.3 per callus). Regenerated plants with roots were individualised and transferred to a greenhouse, with close to 95% survival.     

Sugar changes in Clementine and orange fruit during ripening

Summary

Juice and rind sugar content, fruit volume and rind colour were determined in cvs Fina, Oroval and Hernandina Clementines and in cvs Navelina, Washington Navel and Navelate oranges, cultivars that are harvested at different periods during the season. An accumulation of sugars was observed in all cultivars during ripening, mainly due to an increase of sucrose in the juice and of reducing sugars in the rind. Cv Hernandina, a late Clementine, showed a slower rate of sugar increase in rind.     

Purification and characterization of a flavor-related enzyme, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase,from Toona sinensis leaves

A flavor-related enzyme from Toona sinensis (TS), ?-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), was purified 40.67-fold with 13.40% recovery using ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and gel filtration chromatography. Gel filtration chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate acryl amide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed that GGT was a heterodimer with a molecular weight of 90 kDa, and the molecular size of its two subunits was 26 kDa and 64 kDa, respectively. The apparent Km and Vmax of GGT were 3.623 μmol/mL and 2.831 μmol/mL/min of protein, respectively. The optimum reaction temperature was 60°C, while the optimum pH was 7.0. GGT can tolerate temperatures of 70°C for a short time and can keep stable activity at 60°C for more than 2 hours. The effect of metal ions on GGT activity showed that Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ had strong inhibition, while Fe³⁺ had strong activation, and other metal ions had only a slight effect. LC-MS analysis indicated that GGT catalyzed (S, S)-γ-glutamyl-(cis-S-1-propenyl)-thioglycine, a flavor precursor found in TS, to release glutamic acid moiety.     

Somatic embryogenesis of Limonium sinense: a study on the regeneration efficacy via direct and indirect approach followed by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation

An efficient indirect somatic embryogenesis and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for Limonium sinense has been established, wherein neomycin phosphotransferase II (npt II) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) genes were used as selectable and screenable markers, respectively. The efficiency of plantlet regeneration from transformed tissue was compared between direct embryogenesis from leaf and indirect embryogenesis from callus. Embryogenic callus (EC) was initiated from leaf explants on MS medium supplemented with 6.7 μM 2,4-D and 2.22 μM BA. The somatic embryos were induced, matured, and germinated when ECs were transferred onto MS medium supplemented with 4.44 μM BA and 1.07 μM NAA. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 containing the vector pBI121 was used for the transformation. Transient GUS expression frequency was evaluated and putative transgenic plants were successfully grown on culture medium in presence of kanamycin (80–100 mg L^?1). PCR analysis of putative transgenic plants confirmed the presence of GUS and nptII genes. The transformation efficiency obtained through indirect embryogenesis from calluses (4%) was much higher than through direct embryogenesis from leaf explants (0.9%).     

Induction of disease resistance and ROS metabolism in navel oranges by chitosan

The objective of this work was to evaluate how disease resistance and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism in harvested navel oranges (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) may be affected by chitosan. Fresh navel oranges were treated with 2% chitosan or 0.5% glacial acetic acid (control) solution for 1 min, and some were inoculated with Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum. Then, the fruit were stored at 20 °C and 85–95% RH. Treatment with 2% chitosan significantly reduced the disease incidence and the lesion diameter compared with control fruit. This treatment effectively enhanced the activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and levels of glutathione (GSH) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), inhibited the activities of catalase (CAT) and the decreases of ascorbate (AsA) content during navel orange fruits storage. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity in the navel orange fruit was induced slightly by the chitosan treatment during 14–21 days storage. However, glutathione reductase (GR) activity in the fruit was not enhanced by the chitosan treatment. These results indicated that chitosan treatment could induce the navel orange fruit disease resistance by regulating the H₂O₂ levels, antioxidant enzyme and ascorbate–glutathione cycle.     

A Comparison Investigation on Antioxidant Activities,Physicochemical Properties and Phytochemical Contents of Kiwifruit Genotypes and Cultivars

The present work was conducted to find the physicochemical properties, chemical components and antioxidant capacity of kiwifruit hydroalcoholic extracts (B-31, HO-1-14, J-242, Bruno, Greenlight, Hayward, Monty, Topstar) grown Yalova, Turkey. Phytochemical tests were performed to determine total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid. Moreover, the kiwifruit extracts were subjected to evaluate their antioxidant potential using different in vitro assays such as total antioxidant, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reducing power, metal chelating, free radical, H₂O₂ and superoxide anion scavenging activities at 50–500 μg mL^?1, and also found EC₅₀ and IC₅₀ values. The soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and pH were analyzed in all the genotypes and cultivars. The highest total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid content were found in J-242 (89.53 mg GAE/100 g), J-242 (109.13 mg QE/100 g) and HO-1-14 (64.15 mg/100 g), respectively. The linoleic, palmitic, stearic and oleic acid methyl esters were detected in all kiwifruit extracts by GC/MS. Significant differences were found between genotypes and cultivars in the antioxidant tests. The extracts showed high inhibition of lipid peroxidation and compared to standards, significantly (p < 0.05). The GC/MS analyses confirmed quantitative variability in the antioxidant profiles. The SSC, TA and pH of kiwifruit genotypes and cultivars showed a moderate level. The key parameters for the most active kiwifruit included the following: total antioxidant activity for B-31, H₂O₂ scavenging activity for J-242 and metal chelating activity for Topstar. In conclusion, this study exhibited the important role played by the genotypes and cultivars background on the chemical content and antioxidant profiles.     

Essential oils as reducing agents of cabbage peroxidase

Based on the antioxidant properties of essential oils, the effect of thyme, coriander, and rosemary was evaluated on the reduction of peroxidase in white cabbage “Brassica oleraceae var.capitata f. alba” and red cabbage “B. oleraceae var. capitata f. rubra”. To do this, pure, 50, 75, 100 and 200 μl/100 ml concentrations of essential oils were applied in vivo and in vitro of cabbages. Antioxidant activity of the essential oils was compared with that of ascorbic acid. Results revealed that the highest percentage of antioxidant activity was achieved in vitro using a pure concentration of coriander (52.65%) and rosemary (54.64%), and in vivo applying thyme (60.07%) of white cabbage. Applying in vitro pure concentration of coriander (46.39%) and 50 μl/100 ml of rosemary (41.64%), and in vivo 75 μl/100 ml of thyme (42.64%) in red cabbage showed high antioxidant activity. A high reduction of peroxidase was obtained in vitro using of essential oils in red and white cabbages.     

Interaction of ethylene concentration and storage temperature on postharvest life of the green vegetables pak choi,broccoli, mint,and green bean

Reducing ethylene levels around produce delays the senescence of fruit and vegetables and therefore has the potential to reduce the need for refrigeration during transport and storage, which would result in substantial energy savings. In this study four non-climacteric green vegetables were stored at 0, 5, 10, and 20°C in an atmosphere containing 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 μL L^?1 ethylene. The results showed that the postharvest life, as determined by consumer acceptance criteria of yellowing for pak choi and broccoli, leaf abscission for mint, and pod softening and chilling injury for green bean, increased as the temperature and ethylene concentration decreased. Regression equations generated from the storage data allowed for the calculation of the temperature and ethylene levels required for any nominated postharvest life. Using a 14-day postharvest life as an example, storage in ethylene at 0.001 μL L^?1 would allow a storage temperature of about 10°C for pak choi, broccoli, and mint and about 18°C for green bean, temperatures well above the current recommendations of 0 to 5°C.     

Morphological,Biochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Local Loquat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriobotrya Japonica</Emphasis> (Thunb.) Lindl.) Germplasm from Turkey

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) grown well for commercial purposes in subtropical regions nearly 30 countries and originated from China. The most important loquat producers in the world are China, Spain, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Italy and Brazil. In this study, ten pre-selected promising loquat genotypes sampled from eastern Black region and analyzed for their important morphological, biochemical and antioxidant characteristics. The standard cultivar ‘Sayda’ is also included in the study. The results indicated differences for all of the morphological, biochemical and antioxidant characteristics among tested genotypes. Fruit mass and fruit flesh percentage of the genotypes ranged from 35.40?g (LOQ-8) to 46.90?g (LOQ-5) and from 79.40 (%) to 86.32 (%) indicating some local genotypes had higher fruit mass and fruit flesh percentage than standard cultivar ‘Sayda’. Total phenolic content was the highest as 263?μg GAE/g in LOQ-7 genotype while the lowest in LOQ-8 genotype (185?μg GAE/g). LOQ-7 genotype had the highest total antioxidant capacity. Local genotypes in general have higher total phenolic, total carotenoid, vitamin C and antioxidant activity than cv. ‘Sayda’.     

Biocontrol of postharvest blue mould rot of pear by Cryptococcus laurentii

Summary

Cryptococcus laurentii was evaluated for its activity in reducing postharvest blue mould decay of pear caused by Penicillium expansum. Washed cell suspensions of yeast controlled blue mould better than yeast in culture broth. Treatment of wounds with autoclaved cultures or cell-free culture filtrate did not prevent decay. There was a negative correlation between concentrations of the yeast cells and infectivity of the pathogens: at concentrations of yeast at or above 1 × 10⁹ colony forming units (CFU) ml^–1 and pathogen spores suspension of 5 × 10⁴ spores ml^–1, blue mould was completely inhibited after 7 d of incubation at 25°C, and was almost inhibited after 30 d incubation at 2°C followed by 7 d at 20°C. The interval between inoculation with the pathogen and application of the antagonist significantly influenced the efficacy of biocontrol. Efficacy was maintained when C. laurentii was applied simultaneously or prior to inoculation with P. expansum but reduced if applied after inoculation with P. expansum. Rapid colonization of the yeast in wounds was observed during the first 3 d at 20°C, and then the populations stabilized for the remaining storage period. On pear wounds kept at 4°C, the increase in population density of C. laurentii was lower than at 20°C, but rose over 15 d after application of the antagonist to approx. 10⁷ CFU wound^–1.     

Transpiration efficiency of Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) in response to drought stress

Drought is a major abiotic stress responsible for severe crop losses worldwide. Development of new crop varieties with increased drought tolerance is one way to increase crop productivity. The aim of this study was to characterise the diversity of nine accessions belonging to Amaranthus tricolor and A. cruentus, in response to drought stress using a dry-down protocol to characterise the transpiration efficiency (TE). Plants were subjected to either a gradual dry down or well-watered conditions. Results showed that TE was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in water-deficient (WD) plants compared to water-sufficient (WS) plants, 2.40 g kg^?1–7.13 g kg^?1 and 2.19 g kg^?1–4.84 g kg^?1, respectively. There was no significant difference in the fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) threshold decline between the amaranth genotypes. TE was highly correlated with yield under both WS (r = 0.89, P < 0.001) and WD conditions (r = 0.662, P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with root-to-shoot ratio under both WS (r = ?0.488, P < 0.05) and WD conditions (r = ?0.460, P < 0.05). Significant genotypic differences were seen for growth rate and stress susceptibility index (SSI). The result obtained in this investigation underline the need to identify genotypic variation in water use efficiency in amaranth.

Abbreviations: FTSW: Fraction of transpirable soil water; NTR: normalised transpiration rate; SSI: Stress susceptibility index; TE: transpiration efficiency; WHC: water holding capacity; WD: water-deficient; WS: water-sufficient.     

Effect of rootstocks on the leaf mineral content of citrus

Leaves from ‘Valencia’, ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Washington Navel’ oranges grown on ‘Rangpur’ lime, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin, ‘Sour Orange’, ‘Troyer’ citrange and ‘Rough Lemon’ root-stocks were analzed for N, P, K, Ca, Na, Cl, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn. Significant differences among rootstocks were obtained for K, Ca, $\text{Ca}\text{K}$, Na and Cl, but not for N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu. Scion leaves on ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin tended to be low in K and high in $\text{Ca}\text{K}$ and those on ‘Rangpur’ lime were high in K and low in Ca and $\text{Ca}\text{K}$. ‘Troyer’ citrange induced higher uptake of Na and Cl than all other rootstocks. ‘Washington Navel’ leaves contained more Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn, and less Na, than ‘Hamlin’ or ‘Valencia’ leaves. ‘Valencia’ leaves contained more Ca and less K than the other two cultivars. The nutritional status of the trees was slightly low in N, K and Mn, optimum in Fe, Zn and Cu, normal-to-high in P, and contained non-toxic levels of Na and Cl. The statistical interaction of root stock and scion was found non-significant.     

Micropropagation of Prunus scoparia,a Suitable Rootstock for Almond under Drought Conditions

Prunus scoparia is a wild deciduous shrub, usually living on dry calcareous soils of the rocky mountains and has been used as a grafting rootstock for domesticated almonds to provide drought resistance. In the current study, micropropagation ability of P. scoparia was investigated using cytokinin and auxin. Uniform nodal shoot pieces (3–5 cm in length) of seedlings were used as explants. The explants were disinfected with 10% sodium hypochlorite solution. For adventitious shoot induction and proliferation, Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing 7.00 g/l agar and 30.00 g/l sucrose containing five concentrations of benzyl adenine (BA) (0.00, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, and 4.00 mg/1) and also containing six concentrations of Thidiazuron (TDZ) (0.00, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, 5.00, and 7.00 mg/1) were compared. For rooting, in vitro shoots (2–3 cm) were transferred into ½ MS medium supplemented with 30 g/l sucrose, 7.50 g/l agar, and different concentrations of IBA (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 mg/l) and NAA (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 mg/l). Based on the results obtained for shoot proliferation, only 2.00 and 4.00 mg/l BA and 2.00 mg/l TDZ concentrations generated shoots, while other treatments did not show shoot proliferation. Among the three treatments that generated shoots, the best results for shoot number, leaf number, and leaf color quality were observed in media containing 2.00 mg/l TDZ. Based on the results obtained for rooting, the effect of IBA concentrations on the rooting percentage, root number, and root length was significant. Among IBA concentrations, only 0.50 mg/l IBA induced rooting, while there was no rooting in the media containing other IBA concentrations. None of the NAA concentrations showed rooting. In conclusion, MS culture medium supplemented with 2.00 mg/l TDZ and ½ MS culture medium supplemented with 0.50 mg/l IBA are suggested for in vitro shoot proliferation and rooting of P. scoparia, respectively. The results presented herein could be used for in vitro selection and micropropagation of P. scoparia.     

In vitro organogenesis of Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet from leaf derived callus and assessment of genetic fidelity using ISSR markers

This study reports on in vitro regeneration of Abutilon indicum plantlets through callus mediated organogenesis. The leaf explants implanted on Murashige and Skoogs (MS) medium supplemented with 4.52 µM 2, 4-Dicholorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 8.88 µM 6 Benzyladenine (BA) showed highest response (70.3%) for callus proliferation, but these callus did not showed any morphogenetic differentiation on the same medium even after 12 weeks. Whereas, subsequent sub-culture of this green proliferated callus on MS medium added with 2.68µM α-Napthalene acetic acid (NAA), 8.88µM BA and 543 µM Adenine sulphate showed the highest frequency (62.2%) of multiple shoot-buds production and also elongation of shoots. Well developed shoots were efficiently rooted in vitro on half strength MS medium supplemented with 7.38 µM Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Seventy per cent of in vitro regenerated plantlets were successfully established in garden and were morphologically alike to the donor plants. The genetic homogeneity of these in vitro regenerated plantlets was also affirmed by inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis using eight ISSR primers. This standardised in vitro organogenesis protocol supplements a good platform for the conservation of A. indicum germplasms and also caters for the needs of the herbal industry.