New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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In vitro long-term storage of asparagus

P. J. FLETCHER

New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Private Bag 4704
Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract  To assist with commercial production of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) clones, a system for in vitro, long-term cold storage of high health asparagus germplasm was developed. In vitro mini-crowns, with and without storage roots, were stored on a medium consisting of Murashige and Skoog salts with the addition of 3% sucrose, 4% sorbitol, 0.4 mg/litre thiamine, 200 mg/litre glutamine, 100 mg/litre inositol, 1.0 mg/litre ancymidol, and 0.8% agar. The cultures were incubated at 6deg.C with a photoperiod of 16 h (light level of 70-90 umol/m² per s). The role of sorbitol was examined, as was the value of photoperiod. After 16 months of storage, the viability and re-culturing ability of the in vitro cultures was assessed. To date, the cultures have survived 2 years of storage with 100% success in regrowth to their original growth form in culture and on transfer to glasshouse conditions.

Keywords  long-term cold storage; in vitro culture; Asparagus officinalis L.; germplasm; mini-crown; sorbitol; osmotic stress; viability

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 1994, Vol. 22: 351-359

0114-0671/94/2204-0351 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (2951K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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