biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 51:556-558, 2007 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-007-0121-x

Genome size stability in six medicinal plant species propagated in vitro

E. Sliwinska^1,*, B. Thiem²

¹ Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Cytometry, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland

² Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Plant Biotechnology, K. Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland

DNA content was estimated by flow cytometry in seedlings and in vitro clones of six species: Oenothera paradoxa, Inula verbascifolia ssp. aschersoniana, Rubus chamaemorus, Solidago virgaurea, S. graminifolia and Pueraria lobata. With the exception of P. lobata, there was no difference in genome sizes between seedlings and in vitro cultured plants from any species, indicative that they maintain their genetic stability during in vitro culture. This confirms the usefulness of tissue culture for production of certified plant material to obtain herbal medicines.

Keywords: DNA content; flow cytometry; genetic fidelity; micropropagation

Subjects: flow cytometry; in vitro culture, micropropagation, propagation; Inula verbascifolia ssp. aschersoniana; medicinal plants; Oenothera paradoxa; Rubus chamaemorus; Solidago graminifolia; Solidago virgaurea

Received: October 1, 2005; Accepted: June 10, 2006; Published: September 1, 2007  Show citation