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Selection in vitro for UV‐tolerant sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) somaclones
Author(s) -
Levall Mats W.,
Bornman Janet F.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1993.tb01757.x
Subject(s) - somaclonal variation , sugar beet , sugar , carotenoid , callus , chlorophyll , shoot , biology , botany , pigment , horticulture , chlorophyll fluorescence , tissue culture , chemistry , food science , in vitro , biochemistry , organic chemistry
With a reduced stratospheric ozone concentration, the generation of UV‐tolerant plants may be of particular importance. Among different crop plants there is large variation in sensitivity to UV‐B radiation. This study was undertaken to investigate the possibilities of using somaclonal variation and selection in vitro for improving UV‐B tolerance in sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.). Sugar beet callus was exposed to UV radiation (280–320 nm, 0.863–5.28 kJ m ‐2 day ‐1 , unweighted) and resultant shoots were selected from surviving cells. After establishment of the plants, they were grown under either visible radiation (114 μmol m ‐2 s ‐1 PAR) or with the addition of UV radiation (6.3 kJ m ‐2 day ‐1 biologically effective UV‐B). Screening of regenerants in vivo for tolerance to UV radiation was undertaken 10 months after termination of the UV selection pressure. Screening was done visually and by using a number of physiological parameters, including chlorophyll fluorescence induction, ultraweak luminescence, pigment analysis and total content of UV‐screening pigments. A clear difference between the unselected and the UV‐selected somaclones was observed when visually studying the UV damage and other leaf injury. The observations were supported by the ultraweak luminescence measurements. Unselected plants showed significantly greater damage when subjected to subsequent UV radiation as compared to the selected plants. The clones subjected to UV selection pressure displayed a significantly higher concentration of UV‐screening pigments under subsequent UV radiation. The unselected plants under subsequent UV treatment showed a lower carotenoid concentration when compared to selected plants. However, no significant difference between treatments was found for chlorophyll a/b , or F/F max , a measure of photosynthetic quantum yield.