Articles
Epigenetic variations in micropropagated horticultural crops and their prospects in crop improvement
Article number
1454_12
Pages
85 – 94
Language
English
Abstract
Commercial micropropagation is a multibillion-dollar industry for mass multiplication of various plant species.
It represents a major success in utilizing plant biotechnology profitably and is being practiced all over the world.
Horticultural crops including various fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, are very rich in bioactive components that play important roles in antiulcer, antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities.
Remarkable success in culture in vitro, resulting in substantial developments in micropropagation, has been taken place in horticultural plants including berry crops.
Efficient propagation technique using somatic embryogenesis was successfully established in Vaccinium species.
Automation in micropropagation using bioreactors has been developed as a feasible way of cost-effective propagation system for mass production of true-to-type plants.
However, ideal condition for bioreactor propagation depends upon the biochemical and physiological responses of plant to the signals of culture environment and the culture condition for morphogenesis in liquid culture media.
Stresses in in vitro culture can cause alterations at physiological, molecular and/or biochemical levels that lead to variations in morphology and bioactive components in micropropagated plants.
These variations are known as somaclonal variations and are either genetic or epigenetic.
Factors including genotype, explant type and origin, chimeral tissue, media type, type and concentration of plant growth regulators, culture environment and duration of culture control somaclonal variations in tissue culture-derived plants.
Epigenetic variations in in vitro culture include histone modification, chromatin remodelling, activation of transposable elements and altered DNA methylation pattern.
Variations in DNA methylation pattern are more frequent in the plant genome during in vitro culture and lead to discrete phenotypic changes.
Enhanced vegetative growth that might be an epigenetic variation in micropropagated berry plants with increased fruit production, rhizome growth and antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves, might be of practical significance to the growers.
The present review describes the in-depth information for better understanding the epigenetic effects based on DNA methylation in micropropagated berry crops and covers the existing gap in literature.
It also describes the use of molecular markers to address fundamental and practical questions of in vitro culture, and the employment of molecular markers for the assessment of genetic fidelity, uniformity, stability and trueness-to-type among donor and micropropagated horticultural plants.
It represents a major success in utilizing plant biotechnology profitably and is being practiced all over the world.
Horticultural crops including various fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, are very rich in bioactive components that play important roles in antiulcer, antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities.
Remarkable success in culture in vitro, resulting in substantial developments in micropropagation, has been taken place in horticultural plants including berry crops.
Efficient propagation technique using somatic embryogenesis was successfully established in Vaccinium species.
Automation in micropropagation using bioreactors has been developed as a feasible way of cost-effective propagation system for mass production of true-to-type plants.
However, ideal condition for bioreactor propagation depends upon the biochemical and physiological responses of plant to the signals of culture environment and the culture condition for morphogenesis in liquid culture media.
Stresses in in vitro culture can cause alterations at physiological, molecular and/or biochemical levels that lead to variations in morphology and bioactive components in micropropagated plants.
These variations are known as somaclonal variations and are either genetic or epigenetic.
Factors including genotype, explant type and origin, chimeral tissue, media type, type and concentration of plant growth regulators, culture environment and duration of culture control somaclonal variations in tissue culture-derived plants.
Epigenetic variations in in vitro culture include histone modification, chromatin remodelling, activation of transposable elements and altered DNA methylation pattern.
Variations in DNA methylation pattern are more frequent in the plant genome during in vitro culture and lead to discrete phenotypic changes.
Enhanced vegetative growth that might be an epigenetic variation in micropropagated berry plants with increased fruit production, rhizome growth and antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves, might be of practical significance to the growers.
The present review describes the in-depth information for better understanding the epigenetic effects based on DNA methylation in micropropagated berry crops and covers the existing gap in literature.
It also describes the use of molecular markers to address fundamental and practical questions of in vitro culture, and the employment of molecular markers for the assessment of genetic fidelity, uniformity, stability and trueness-to-type among donor and micropropagated horticultural plants.
Authors
S.C. Debnath
Keywords
bioreactor micropropagation, berry crops, somatic embryogenesis, somaclonal variation, molecular markers, DNA methylation
Groups involved
- Division Plant Genetic Resources, Breeding and Biotechnology
- Working Group Genetic Transformation and Gene Editing
- Working Group Horticultural Biotechnology and Breeding
- Division Ornamental Plants
- Division Vegetables, Roots and Tubers
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Horticulture for Development
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