CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCTION SCHEME OF LOCAL CERTIFIED PROPAGATING MATERIAL OF ALMOND: IN VITRO SANITATION AND MICROPROPAGATION

Tissue culture techniques, alone or coupled with heat treatment, have largely contributed to the eradication of viruses from a wide range of infected plants and less for elimination of phytoplasma.
In this study we present the elimination of both Prunus necrotic ringspot virus and Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium from two infected local almond accessions by using different tissue culture techniques combined with heat therapy.
Shoot tip culture coupled or not with thermotherapy was the most effective to eliminate PNRSV in 100% of regenerated shootlets, while both shoot tip and stem cutting cultures associated to heat treatment were all suitable for phytoplasma elimination from regenerated shootlets.
This free-pathogens material has been multiplied for successive subcultures and then rooted in vitro before being hardened in the glasshouse conditions.
At this stage elimination of infectious agents has been confirmed prior to use the freed material as certified mother plants for further propagation.
These results showed the important potential of traditional tissue culture techniques to be used in the certification program for local germplasm.

VIII International Symposium on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding

L. Chalak, E. Choueiri

ELISA, in vitro, PCR test, Prunus dulcis, sanitation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1083.18