Micropropagation and Germplasm Storage of Prunus amygdalus by the Vitrification Method

An efficient method for in vitro micropropagation and germplasm conservation of Prunus amygdalus was developed. The maximum number of shoot per explant was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L BA (benzyl amino purine) and 0.01 mg/L IBA (indole-3-butyric acid). The in vitropropagated shoots produced roots when transfered to MS medium containing IBA, indole-3-aceticacid (IAA) or Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) at various concentrations. Rooted microshoots were potted and hardened off under greenhouse condition. 50% of the rooted shoots successfully acclimatized in the greenhouse. Shoot tips were evaluated for cryostoragein liquid nitrogen using a basic vitrification protocol involving: excision of shoot tips, pretreated on a solid MS medium containing 0.3 M sucrose for 1 d, pretreated with 18% glycerol (w/v) and 14% (w/v) sucrose, followed by incubation in MPVS2 (modified plant vitrification solution 2), then direct immersion in Liquid Nitrogen (LN). Thawing of retrieved material for 2 min in a 45 °C water bath, induced 72.3% shoot formation. This method is a promising technique for in vitro propagation and germplasm preservation of shoot tips of P. amygdalus