What is it about?
In this paper, we report on the establishment of in vitro conditions to germinate and grow axenic saltgrass, a plant species that is able to grow during drought or flooding seasons, as well as in poor, saline, and alkaline soils, making it an ideal model system to study salinity and water stress tolerance in plants. Additionally, it is considered as a nurse plant for ecological restoration and as a forage crop for environments with stressful seasonality. However, D. spicata has an extremely low germination rate in field, as low as 3%. To establish this system as a model that can be consistently studied, it is essential to germinate and grow seeds in vitro in order to understand the factors that affect these processes under osmotic and salt stress. Using our protocol, we were able to significantly increase germination rate (84%) in a very short period of time (only 5 days), and eliminated in vitro contamination. The resulting plantlets were successfully established in pots. The study of this grass under controlled conditions allowed us to determine its germination limits capacity under high salinity as well as its sensibility to osmotic agents. This is also significant because this kind of studies help us to understand its ecological distribution, reproduction strategies and physiological capacities in order to focus efforts to improve its possibility to be studied as model and as a candidate for propagation in poor soil conditions as a forage crop and ecological restoration.
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Why is it important?
We successfully established an axenic in vitro saltgrass culture. Mechanical scarification, stratification, and NaDCC treatments enhanced germination time and rate compared to published data, as well as the establishment of saltgrass plantlets in pots. We also observed that NaDCC completely disinfected the seeds. Saltgrass had a good capacity to germinate under high salinity (ionic) stress caused by 150 and 200 mM NaCl, where seed germination was 50% and 30%, respectively. Higher NaCl concentrations inhibited germination. Saltgrass was sensitive to osmotic stress during germination, suggesting that this is one of the main developmental stages limiting the success of D. spicata under osmotic environments. These results allowed the study of this grass model under controlled laboratory conditions and improved its propagation potential under poor soil conditions. The introduction of this halophyte has allowed covering the barren saline land onward the world's coastal zones and has provided economic benefits.
Perspectives
Due to the potential use of D. spicata as a model plant to study salinity and water stress tolerance in plants is mandatory to obtain in vitro cultures of this plant. In vitro contamination by fungi or bacteria is one of the most serious problems of commercial and plant tissue culture research laboratories, especially when plant material comes directly from the field. Controlling in vitro contamination is one of the basic requirements for successful tissue culture technology. This work aimed to establish a protocol for in vitro axenic germination of D. spicata to achieve high germination percentages under controlled conditions and to evaluate germination under osmotic and salt stresses. Studying this plant species will increase its potential for propagation in poor soil conditions.
Analilia Arroyo-Becerra
Instituto Politecnico Nacional
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Establishment of in vitro germination of Distichlis spicata and response to osmotic stress, Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, March 2023, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/22238980-bja10075.
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