Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth

Artificial propagation of endangered orchid species is one of the most important actions of conservationists often jeopardized by low numbers of acquired seed, its contamination and viability. Disinfection and chemical composition of media are two of the most important factors contributing to better...

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Main Authors: Tomaž JEVŠNIK, Zlata LUTHAR
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2015-11-01
Series:Acta Agriculturae Slovenica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/aas/article/view/12576
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author Tomaž JEVŠNIK
Zlata LUTHAR
author_facet Tomaž JEVŠNIK
Zlata LUTHAR
author_sort Tomaž JEVŠNIK
collection DOAJ
description Artificial propagation of endangered orchid species is one of the most important actions of conservationists often jeopardized by low numbers of acquired seed, its contamination and viability. Disinfection and chemical composition of media are two of the most important factors contributing to better germination in temperate orchid species. The article deals with three world genera (Epidendrum nocturnum, Prosthechea garciana, Maxillaria rufescens) and one commercial hybrid (Zygopetalum) and describes an effective method of orchid seed disinfection carried out in a centrifuge. Germination percentages of all three genera and one hybrid were between 60 and 90 % from which we concluded that the risk of physical damage to the seeds by centrifugation is not significant. The time needed for disinfected seeds (E. nocturnum, P. garciana, M. rufescens) to swell-form protocorms was 10 days shorter compared to undisinfected seeds (Zygopetalum hybrid - green capsule method) and some other studies. Adequate wetting and stratification of the seed is very important for successful germination, which resembles processes in natural environment. Additionally, this method solves the problems of collecting and transferring the seeds after disinfection. It is also important that the time needed for disinfection is shorter, which is desirable for some sensitive species. Our study also focuses on importance of gelling agent, namely Gellan gum and agar, since we noticed an obvious superiority of the former in all phases of in vitro development.
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spelling doaj.art-16859e476c774e639ee1f764046fa2c62025-03-12T12:21:37ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Acta Agriculturae Slovenica1854-19412015-11-0110519510210.14720/aas.2015.105.1.1018968Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growthTomaž JEVŠNIK0Zlata LUTHAR1Ocean Orchids d.o.o., Dobrovnik 297, SI-9223 Dobrovnik, SloveniaDepartment of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaArtificial propagation of endangered orchid species is one of the most important actions of conservationists often jeopardized by low numbers of acquired seed, its contamination and viability. Disinfection and chemical composition of media are two of the most important factors contributing to better germination in temperate orchid species. The article deals with three world genera (Epidendrum nocturnum, Prosthechea garciana, Maxillaria rufescens) and one commercial hybrid (Zygopetalum) and describes an effective method of orchid seed disinfection carried out in a centrifuge. Germination percentages of all three genera and one hybrid were between 60 and 90 % from which we concluded that the risk of physical damage to the seeds by centrifugation is not significant. The time needed for disinfected seeds (E. nocturnum, P. garciana, M. rufescens) to swell-form protocorms was 10 days shorter compared to undisinfected seeds (Zygopetalum hybrid - green capsule method) and some other studies. Adequate wetting and stratification of the seed is very important for successful germination, which resembles processes in natural environment. Additionally, this method solves the problems of collecting and transferring the seeds after disinfection. It is also important that the time needed for disinfection is shorter, which is desirable for some sensitive species. Our study also focuses on importance of gelling agent, namely Gellan gum and agar, since we noticed an obvious superiority of the former in all phases of in vitro development.https://journals.uni-lj.si/aas/article/view/12576orchidaceaeendangered speciesseedsplant propagationgerminabilitysite factorsdisinfectionchemicophysical propertiesgrowing media
spellingShingle Tomaž JEVŠNIK
Zlata LUTHAR
Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
Acta Agriculturae Slovenica
orchidaceae
endangered species
seeds
plant propagation
germinability
site factors
disinfection
chemicophysical properties
growing media
title Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
title_full Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
title_fullStr Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
title_full_unstemmed Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
title_short Successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
title_sort successful disinfection protocol for orchid seeds and influence of gelling agent on germination and growth
topic orchidaceae
endangered species
seeds
plant propagation
germinability
site factors
disinfection
chemicophysical properties
growing media
url https://journals.uni-lj.si/aas/article/view/12576
work_keys_str_mv AT tomazjevsnik successfuldisinfectionprotocolfororchidseedsandinfluenceofgellingagentongerminationandgrowth
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