Large-scale somatic embryogenesis and regeneration of Panax notoginseng

• Published in: Plant cell, tissue and organ culture Vol. 108; no. 2; pp. 333 - 338
• Main Authors: You, Xiang Ling, Tan, Xiao, Dai, Jin Ling, Li, Yu Hua, Choi, Yong Eui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 2,4-D; Acclimatization; Autoclaving; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bioreactors; Callus; Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; Embryonic growth stage; Embryos; Flasks; Gibberellic acid; Growth regulators; Life Sciences; Mountain soils; Overwintering; Panax notoginseng; Perlite; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant growth; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plantlets; Regeneration; Research Note; Roots; Shoots; Soil conditions; Somatic embryogenesis; Vermiculite; Regeneration; Suspension culture; Soil transfer; Bioreactor culture; Somatic embryogenesis
• ISSN: 0167-6857; 1573-5044
• DOI: 10.1007/s11240-011-0030-8

An efficient system for inducing somatic embryogenesis in Panax notoginseng was established using shaker flasks and bioreactor cultures; furthermore, regenerated plantlets were successfully transferred to ex vitro soil conditions. Embryogenic callus was induced from segments of adventitious roots incubated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1.0 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) after 5 weeks of culturing. The highest frequency (100%) of somatic embryogenesis, with a mean of 32.7 somatic embryos per callus, was obtained on embryogenic callus incubated on a medium containing 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D. To scale-up somatic embryo formation, 10 g (~1.65 × 10 4 ) of early globular-stage somatic embryos were incubated in a 3 L airlift bioreactor containing 1.5 L 1/2 MS medium without plant growth regulators (PGRs) for a period of 4 weeks; these globular-stage somatic embryos then developed into cotyledonary embryos. When maintained on PGR-free medium, the cotyledonary embryos developed roots but did not develop shoots. However, when they were treated with gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), they continued to germinate and transformed into plantlets after 2 weeks of culture. Plantlets with well-developed shoots and roots were transferred to an autoclaved vermiculite and perlite mixture, acclimatized for a period of 3 months and successfully transferred to forest mountain soil. Following overwintering, these plants produced new growth.