Blog 4.2 Growth media: Synthetic or natural compounds?

In this blog, I will answer three questions about the topic “Bamboo in-vitro cultivation”.

• Which are the main impediments for Bamboo multiplication? 


There are a few impediments that make the in vitro cultivation of Bamboo very interesting. Some examples:

- There are some species of bamboo that need to grow 100 years to product seeds (for example Dendrocalamus asper) (Banerjee, Gantait, & Pramanik, 2011)

- The viability of seeds is short

- To maintain a bamboo plantation, it is required to produce at least 100’000 seedlings per year (Venkatachalam, Kalaiarasi, & Sreeramanan, 2015)

• Which measures can be taken to establish an efficient in vitro propagation system? 


There are different measures that can vary, depending on which cultivation step we are looking at (for example Shoot bud development or Rooting of in vitro regenerated shoots). Some examples are listed below:

- Media variation: The use of different ingredients can increase the quantity of shoot buds. For example, the use of 6-benzyl amino purine, kinetin, auxins, coconut water and sucrose in different concentrations. Other ingredients can increase the rooting. For example, the use of AgNO₃ and indole-3-butyric acid in the media.

- Seed sterilization (to prevent contaminations).

- Growth conditions. For example, the photoperiod.

- Days of rooting before planting in the field (survival rate). (Venkatachalam et al., 2015)

• Cocos milk or similar natural compounds seem to be effective ingredients for in vitro cultures. Are there any disadvantages too? 


It seems like coconut water has an essential effect on cell division. With its application, the shoot bud multiplication is more rapid. A disadvantage of coconut water is, that higher concentrations appear with an inhibitory effect, which often causes vitrification of shoots. (Venkatachalam et al., 2015)

Vitrification is a well-known morphological and physiological disorder in in vitro cultivation. It can cause big losses. The reduction of vitrification is an important objective in in vitro cultivation. (Sharma & Mohan, 2006)

Sources:

Banerjee, M., Gantait, S., & Pramanik, B. R. (2011). A two step method for accelerated mass propagation of Dendrocalamus asper and their evaluation in field. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, 17(4), 387–393. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-011-0088-0

Sharma, U., & Mohan, J. S. S. (2006). Reduction of vitrification in in vitro raised shoots of Chlorophytum borivilianum Sant. & Fernand., a rare potent medicinal herb. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 44(6), 499–505.

Venkatachalam, P., Kalaiarasi, K., & Sreeramanan, S. (2015). Influence of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and various additives on in vitro plant propagation of Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Wild: A recalcitrant bamboo species. Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, 13(2), 193–200. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgeb.2015.09.006