The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference
3471:
Efficiencies in Alginate Encapsulation of Vegetative Explants
3471:
Efficiencies in Alginate Encapsulation of Vegetative Explants
Monday, August 2, 2010
Springs F & G
The goal of this study was to improve a non-mechanized bulk encapsulation technique to standardize encapsulation procedures and reduce the labor time compared to encapsulating individual nodes. Four mm-long nodal segments from Stage II cultures of Hibiscus moscheutos L. ‘Lord Baltimore’ were encapsulated as groups of 5 segments in matrix masses gelled with 2.5 - 3.25% sodium alginate that were solidified with 60 - 90mM calcium chloride in various experiments. Encapsulated masses were placed in sterile Petri dishes, sealed with parafilm, and placed in darkness at 5°C for four weeks. They were then removed from refrigeration and placed on fresh Stage II medium and incubated at 25°C under cool white fluorescent lamps for four weeks when data were taken. There was a significant interaction between the alginate viscosity and the calcium chloride concentration for subsequent shoot length. The most axillary shoots grew when the masses were encapsulated in 3% alginate and 60mM CaCl2. The longest shoots grew from nodal segments encapsulated with 2.75% alginate that was solidified with 60mM CaCl2. The most roots grew from masses of nodal segments encapsulated in 2.5% alginate solidified with 60mM CaCl2.