title: High efficiency plant production of North American ginseng via somatic embryogenesis from cotyledon explants.
abstract: An efficient in vitro protocol for plant production of North American ginseng has been established. The pretreatment of cotyledon explants with 1.0 M sucrose at 4 degrees C resulted in an improvement of embryo quality and, combined with a higher sucrose content (7%) in induction medium, improved the embryogenesis frequency from 40% to 75% and the number of embryos per explant from 10 to 21. The frequency of secondary embryogenesis from somatic embryo-derived tissues cultured on MS medium with 1.0 mg l(-1) 2, 4-D and 1.0 mg l(-1) NAA is up to 90%. Somatic embryos can further develop to maturity on SH medium supplemented with 1% activated charcoal and half of them can germinate. About 85% of the germinated embryos will convert into plants with well-developed taproot systems on 1/2 SH medium with 0.5% activated charcoal. The growth chamber and field establishment rates were 95.6 and 93.7%, respectively. The plants transplanted to growth chambers and field plots appear normal.
authors.affiliation: Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1391 Sandford St., London, ON N5V 4T3, Canada. browndc@agr.gc.ca
authors.forename: Sijun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Daniel C W
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D018548:Cotyledon / Q000196:embryology*; D003470:Culture Media; D047108:Embryonic Development; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D005875:Gibberellins / Q000494:pharmacology; D009656:North America; D005894:Panax / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects; D036226:Seedlings / Q000187:drug effects; D012639:Seeds / Q000187:drug effects; D013395:Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005875:Gibberellins; D013395:Sucrose; C007842:gibberellic acid