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Efficient plant regeneration of Glossonema edule, a critically endangered desert plant

Abstract

Sara H. Al Hadidi, Raham Sher Khan, Asmaa al-Qaradawi, Mohammed H. Alsafran and Talaat A. Ahmed

Glossonema edule, a synonym of Glossonema varians, is an important but endangered desert plant in Qatar. Propagation of G. edule is important to maintain plant biodiversity in the desert. The objective of this study is to investigate the seed dormancy breakage and to establish and optimize a micropropagation protocol to conserve this endangered plant species in Qatar using tissue culture technique. Seeds were treated with hot water, gibberellins, auxin and cytokinin to break the dormancy of G. edule. The results revealed that heat treatment of the seeds for 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 min lead to no germination and failed to break the seed dormancy. However, gibberellic acid (GA3), auxin (NAA) and cytokinin (BAP and 2iP) were found to be effective in seed germination. Light was also found effective on germination of the seeds. In dark, 8.3% of seeds germinated on medium with 0.1 and 1.0 mg L-1 GA3 while 12.5% of seeds germinated with 2.0 mg L-1 GA3 compared to 50, 60 and 63.3% germination for the seeds cultured with 0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 mg L-1 GA3 under light condition, respectively. The use of 2.0 mg L1 GA3 in continuous light resulted in 100% germination only after 3 days. The effects of the NAA: 2ip in different concentrations (0, 0.1, 1.0 and 2.0 mg L-1) on leaf, stem and hypocotyls explants varied. For hypocotyls 100% callus formation was recorded in some of the concentrations (highest in 1.0:0, 2.0:0, 2.0:1.0 and 2.0: 0.1 mg L-1 auxin: cytokinin, and in leaf explants 57.1% organogenesis was obtained with 1.0: 0.1 mg L-1 of auxin and cytokinin. This study might provide new opportunities for breaking seed dormancy as well as clonal propagation of Glossonema edule and in vitro-formed plantlets might be an important source for micro-propagation of this endangered plants.

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