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The Survival of Pear Dormant Buds at Ultra-Low Temperatures
Alois Bilavcik1, Milos Faltus1, Jiri Zamecnik1
1Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507, 16106 Prague, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Currently, there is a varietal diversity decline in pear orchards of the Czech Republic. Thus, the safe storage of their gene pool collections is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, the ultra-low temperature survival after two-step cryopreservation treatment of dormant buds was tested for a safe and rapid way to conserve pear germplasm in a broader range of varieties. The following varieties crucial for cultivation in the Czech Republic were tested; 'Amfora', 'Beurré Hardy', 'Bosc', 'Clapp's Favourite', 'Conference', 'Dicolor', 'Erika', 'Lucas', 'Williams' and 'Williams Red'. In 2011 and 2012, dormant pear buds were dehydrated to 40.1% and 36.0% water content, respectively, before cryopreservation. The average regeneration of the dormant pear buds after cryopreservation by the two-step cryoprotocol in 2011 and 2012 was 54.3% and 16.1%, respectively. The mentioned cryopreservation procedure is suitable for the safe storage of dormant buds in most tested pear varieties.
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