Experimental Parameters Underlying Failure or Success in Plant Germplasm Cryopreservation: A Case Study on Zygotic Axes of Quercus Robur L.

摘要

Previous attempts to cryopreserve zygotic axes excised from the recalcitrant seeds of Q. robur have met with little or no success. The present study examines the consequences of the three vital manipulations, surface sterilization, dehydration and freezing, on root and shoot apices of axes prepared according to two unsuccessful protocols, and compares these with similar analyses of axes subjected to a comparatively successful procedure based on maximising the rates of dehydration and cooling. It is concluded that the consequences of over-rigorous surface-sterilization, and prolonged periods of dehydration, while not lethal in themselves, act synergistically and lethally with freezing stress. A possible explanation for, and solution of , the prevalent problem in axis cryopreservation, viz. failure of shoot development, are presented in terms of deranged or restituted intracellular organization, respectively.