Open AccessRecovery and Longevity of Cryopreserved Dormant Apple Buds
Author(s) -
Philip L. Forsline,
Leigh E. Towill,
John Waddell,
Cecil Stushnoff,
Warren F. Lamboy,
James R. McFerson
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of the american society for horticultural science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.408
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 2327-9788
pISSN - 0003-1062
DOI - 10.21273/jashs.123.3.365
Subject(s) - biology , malus , rootstock , germplasm , horticulture , cryopreservation , cold storage , botany , agronomy , embryo , microbiology and biotechnology
Clonally propagated crops, unlike seed-propagated crops, require intense and costly maintenance, generally in ex situ field gene banks. Consequently, large germplasm collections of tree species especially, are difficult to conserve in a well-replicated fashion and are vulnerable to damage from environmental stresses. Accordingly, long-term storage in liquid nitrogen presents a viable conservation alternative. To assess effectiveness of one approach to cryopreservation, dormant buds from 64 apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh. and other Malus spp.) accessions were collected and preserved in liquid nitrogen using a dormant-vegetative-bud method. Buds were retrieved from liquid nitrogen storage, rehydrated, and grafted onto rootstocks to determine survival. Mean recovery was 76% for 40 cold-hardy accessions, 66% for 20 moderately cold-hardy accessions, and 24% for four cold-tender accessions (range: 16% to 100%). Only four accessions had ≤25% recovery while 54 accessions had ≤50% recovery and 35 accessions had ≤75% recovery. No significant decline in recovery of these accessions by bud grafting occurred after 4 years of liquid nitrogen storage.