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DIFFERENTIAL GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL RESPONSES OF BLETIA PURPUREA (ORCHIDACEAE) TO MANNITOL AND SORBITOL IN THE PRESENCE OF SUCROSE AND FRUCTOSE

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 36; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01904167.2012.748798

1532-4087

Timothy R. Johnson, Michael E. Kane,

Plant tissue culture and regeneration

Orchid seeds are energy-limited at dispersal and require infection by fungi in situ or an exogenous carbohydrate source when grown in vitro. While they are able to utilize a wide range of carbohydrates, polyols (sugar alcohols) are not known to enhance germination and early seedling development. In this study, we examined whether two polyols, mannitol and sorbitol, are inhibitory to germination and development or simply not utilized during germination using Bletia purpurea as a model orchid. When seeds were cultured with germination-promoting sugars (sucrose and fructose), sorbitol had little or no effect on germination and slightly inhibited seedling development at high molarities. Seeds cultured in the presence of mannitol and sucrose or fructose at 1 and 10 mmol exhibited enhanced germination, seedling development and rhizoid production. Mannitol alone did not enhance germination over control. We hypothesize that mannitol is taken up by Bletia purpurea embryos, leading to reduced osmotic stress and allowing for enhanced production of dehydration-sensitive rhizoids.