IN VITRO CONSERVATION

OF THREATENED PLANTS

P.Sivagurunathan
II M.sc Environmental Biotechnology
 INTRODUCTION

 What is threatened species.

 In vitro conservation.

 In vitro conservation in tissue culture.

 Uses of in vitro conservation.

 Advantage of invitro conservation.

 Disadvantage of in-vitro conservation.

 WHAT IS THREATENED SPECIES?

A species believe to be at
significant
risk of extinction in the
forseeable
future,because of
stochastic, deterministic
or both factors or by
virtue of inherent rarity.
Ex;Origanum
dictamus etc,.
 In vitro conservation
 Conservation of plant germplasm through
micropropagation or storage of synseeds,
embryos, buds, or meristems is known as
invitro conservation

Invitropropagation also has arole in the

exsitu management of threatened speices
 It can be useful when seeds or spores are
not available because they are not produced
by the plant sufficient.
 IN VITRO CULUTRE METHOD
 Propagation of Vrieseo reitzii.
 It is an endemic & endangerd promeliad from atlantic forest.

Adventious shoot from nodule clusters cultures of Vrieseo

reitzii .
Induction of V. reitzii nodule cultures from basal region of
leaves inoculated in culture medium free of PGR .
the transference of these cultures to MS medium with GA3
promoted the multiplication of adventious shoots , and the
development of plantlets.
plantlets higher than 2.5cm were acclimatized. There
results open new possibilities for the promeliad mass
propagation and conservation.
 Uses of invitro conservation

 Tissue culture lines that are used to propagate

threatened taxa should be preserved for future use.
 A number of threatened species of seed plants have
been propagated through tissue culture to provide
materials for ex-situ population, research and
reintroduction,
 Because invitro propagation can provide only clonal
material ,
 It is dealing with threatened taxa to maintain as much
diversity as possible through the propagation process.
 In-vitro technique have been used successfully
with a numer of species ,both tropical
&temperate region.
 It is could be useful tool for collecting

germplasm from pteritophyte gametophyte and

bryophyte sporophyte for exsitu conservation.
Advantage of in-vitro conservation
 Most of in vitro methods have several
advantage ,such as
Grater safety from viral attack,
Lower cost,
Accomodation for larger number
 1500 wild taxa have been stored in invitro in

various institutions around the world.

 Dis advandage of invitro conservation

 Invitro storage is labour intensive and costly.

 Since subculturing is necessary at regular intervals to
test viability of stored tissue
 The annual average total cost for conservation for one
acession is estimated to be $82.92.
 The risk of somoclonal variations that develop under
invitro condition.
 Very rarely callus are stored in invitro.