Clonal Micropropagation and Breeding of Medicago Varia under Conditions of Central Yakutia

Abstract

One of the tasks of plant biotechnology is to create economically valuable high-yielding plant varieties resistant to diseases, pests, and soil salinization, featuring high reproductive ability and possessing the signs of improved forage quality for farm animals. At the same time, the conditions of Yakutia necessitate to maintain and enhance the following characteristics in existing varieties: high drought and cold resistance, rapid re-growing in spring and after mowing, as well as high seed productivity. In this regard, the aim of the study was to obtain the regenerant plants in vitro by induction of callus genesis of leaf explants, from apex and buds of Medicago varia Mart, of Syulinskaya variety in order to increase genetic variety and selection of economically valuable parameters. The scientific novelty of the study was the development of a method of introduction to in vitro culture of the perennial herb species Medicago varia. Lucerne seeds were used as an initial experimental material. The standard methods of clonal micropropagation with use of cell and tissue cultures were applied. During the study lucerne plants-regenerants with high regeneration potential were received from apex and buds in vitro conditions. It is revealed that high value of the root index (RI) of plants-regenerants of 6, 8 and 9 passages causes high percent of survival of the regenerants at preliminary process of adaptation in ex vitro conditions. The obtained in vitro regenerant plants of lucerne appeared to be high-quality planting material exceeding the original variety in productivity of top and seeds, as well as in fertility characteristics. The results of the study state that economically valuable characteristics of the first generation obtained from regenerant plants by polycross method did not differ significantly from control plants. However, the most promising specimens were picked out for further selection process.