Application of In Vitro Technology to Improving the Yield and Quality of Common and Alternative Crops

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2025 | Viewed by 1441

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
University of Rzeszów, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Land Management and Environmental Protection, Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: micropropagation; interspecific hybrids; multipurpose woody plants; somaclonal variation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At the beginning of the 20th century, Gottlieb Haberlandt published the results of and conclusions from his pioneering research on in vitro plant cultures, and his predictions soon came true: in vitro culture-based techniques became valuable tools in basic and applied research and found practical applications. Currently, these approaches are used on a large scale for quick and efficient cloning (micropropagation) of cultivars and promising specimens for plant breeding; however, in vitro cultures have more applications in conservative and creative breeding, like germplasm conservation, elimination of pathogens, in vitro selection, mutagenesis, haplo- and polyploidization, transformation, embryo rescue, and the fusion of protoplasts. In vitro technology may be combined with conventional methods, increasing plant propagation and breeding efficiency. On the other hand, micropropagated plants may have a permanently or temporarily changed phenotype (somaclonal variation) and, depending on the chosen activity, some of its symptoms, like rejuvenation and revitalization, may be considered either favorable or unfavorable. In vitro cultures are also expensive and laborious. Such hurdles should be overcome as they hinder the application of these techniques. Therefore, further research on in vitro technology is still needed as it is essential not only in the case of common crops but also in alternative crops. The latter can be beneficial for small farms in the context of climate change and in sustainable agriculture.

This Special Issue, entitled “Application of In Vitro Technology to Improving the Yield and Quality of Common and Alternative Crops”, aims to present current research on in vitro cultures and related innovations that can progress the propagation and breeding of common and alternative crops and, consequently, their cultivation and cropping.

Therefore, papers on various aspects of in vitro cultures for common and alternative crops will be warmly welcomed, including those covering, among others, the topics of:

  • Optimization of long-term storage and micropropagation of common and alternative crops;
  • Micropropagated plants as a source of propagules in conventional propagation;
  • Early detection of and prevention of the formation of somaclonal variants;
  • Improvements to the health status and quality of micropropagated plants (in vitro therapy, biotization);
  • Genetic improvement of crops with the application of in vitro techniques combined with other conventional and biotechnological tools;
  • Detection of the relationship between in vitro technologhies and the field performance of crops to improve in vitro selection.

Dr. Wojciech Litwinczuk
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • micropropagation
  • plant breeding
  • germplasm storage
  • somaclonal variation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 3654 KiB  
Article
Optimizing the Micropropagation of Red-Stalked Rhubarb Selections: A Strategy for Mass Production of High-Quality Planting Material
by Agnieszka Wojtania and Piotr Waligórski
Agronomy 2025, 15(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15010027 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 681
Abstract
Culinary rhubarb is grown for its large, thick leaf petioles. Red-stalked cultivars and selection are more attractive for the fresh market and processing industry. In vitro cultures are important for rapidly multiplying value genotypes and producing plants free of viruses. This study aimed [...] Read more.
Culinary rhubarb is grown for its large, thick leaf petioles. Red-stalked cultivars and selection are more attractive for the fresh market and processing industry. In vitro cultures are important for rapidly multiplying value genotypes and producing plants free of viruses. This study aimed to develop an in vitro propagation method for six rhubarb selections from the Raspberry (R1, R2, R3), Leader (L1, L2), and Karpow Lipskiego (KL) groups. In addition, the planting material of six rhubarb selections was subjected to phytochemical analysis using the HPLC method to assess the content of bioactive compounds. The cultures were initiated from underground buds on the crowns. The initial growth was obtained for 45 to 75% of initial explants because of bacterial contamination and low bud activity of some genotypes. The type and concentration of cytokinin and its interaction with gibberellin acid (GA3) were shown to have a significant effect on the cyclic multiplication and commercially interesting rate of all rhubarb genotypes. A high in vitro rooting frequency, 93.7 to 95.8% for rhubarb Raspberry, 94.3 to 100% for rhubarb Leader, and 96.7% KP selections were obtained after two-cycle rooting on a medium containing IBA and NAA. The polyphenolic compounds, such as cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, rhaponticin, resveratrol, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, cinnamic acid, syringic acid, and ferulic acid were detected in selected rhubarb genotypes. The highest content of anthocyanins (2.9 mg·1 g−1 DM) and rhaponticin (107.8 µg·1 g−1 DM) was found in Raspberry selections. On the other hand, Leader selections were characterized by the highest content of resveratrol (0.25 µg·1 g−1 DM) and phenolic acids (1.3 µg·1 g−1 DM). The less attractive for functional food production seems to be KL selection. Full article
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