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Vitamin E and defense-related phytohormones are reliable markers of embryo growth in macaw palm fruits exposed to various storage conditions

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Abstract

The fruit of the macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata) may be used for biofuel production, but its exploitation as a crop is currently limited by its low germinability. Therefore, obtaining plantlets in vitro is an excellent way to solve this problem. Here we aimed to identify the optimal conditions for storing the fruit before obtaining plantlets and testing to what extent vitamin E and defense-related phytohormones are good indicators of embryo growth in vitro. We tested the effects of four storage conditions (nursery, laboratory, cold chamber and freezer) on seed germinability and embryo growth, and evaluated endogenous levels of vitamin E and defense-related phytohormones (abscisic acid, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid) in the endosperm and embryos. Low temperatures [both cold chamber (5 °C) and freezer (−18 °C) methods] killed the embryos, while storing the fruit in the laboratory was the most efficient method of obtaining plantlets, even after a year. Vitamin E and abscisic acid turned out to be good indicators of embryo growth. Enhanced vitamin E and abscisic acid levels had a strong positive correlation with successful embryo growth, thus indicating that these compounds are needed to protect the embryo during fruit storage. Furthermore, abscisic acid levels had a negative correlation with the percentage of contaminated embryos, thus suggesting that the endogenous physiological stage of the seeds affects subsequent contamination in in vitro cultures. We concluded that (1) storing fruit under laboratory conditions is the most efficient means of obtaining plantlets successfully, and (2) vitamin E and abscisic acid can be used as reliable indicators of embryo growth during in vitro culture.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Serveis dels Camps Experimentals and Serveis Cientificotècnics (Universitat de Barcelona) for their technical assistance. We thank Toffa Evans for correction of the English text. Support for the research in the S.M.-B. laboratory was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Knowledge (Award No. PIB2010BZ-00472) and the ICREA Academia award from the Generalitat de Catalunya. We also thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq; Process 560812/2010-8) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, Process PPM 00500-11) for financing the project in Brazil. L.C.B. received a scholarship from FAPEMIG, and Q.S.G. received a research productivity scholarship from CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Biologia Vegetal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Leilane C. Barreto, Melanie Morales, Maren Müller & Sergi Munné-Bosch

  2. Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil

    Leilane C. Barreto & Queila S. Garcia

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  1. Leilane C. Barreto
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  2. Queila S. Garcia
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  3. Melanie Morales
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  4. Maren Müller
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  5. Sergi Munné-Bosch
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Correspondence to Sergi Munné-Bosch.

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Barreto, L.C., Garcia, Q.S., Morales, M. et al. Vitamin E and defense-related phytohormones are reliable markers of embryo growth in macaw palm fruits exposed to various storage conditions. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 118, 203–213 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-014-0474-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-014-0474-8

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