Cryopreservation of interior spruce (Picea glauca engelmanni complex) embryogenic cultures

Embryogenic cultures of interior spruce derived from 12 full-sib families were subjected to cryopreservation, with a 97 % success rate for 357 genotypes. Analyses suggested that cryotolerance was not related to family ranking (height increment), embryogenic potential or culture dispersability in suspension, and long-term storage in or above liquid nitrogen did not affect regenerative potential. By contrast, differences in cryotolerance among cell lines appeared to be prevalent in certain families. Analysis with a DNA fingerprinting probe used for clonal identification demonstrated no evidence of somaclonal variation as a result of cryopreservation. The results of this work indicate the applicability of cryopreservation as a long-term storage strategy for spruce embryogenic cultures from a wide genetic background.