IRTA’s In Vitro Plant Culture Laboratory at Fruitcentre has focused on the application of plant tissue culture techniques aimed at supporting and accelerating private or public breeding programmes. These include micropropagation, embryo rescue, generation of double haploid and tetraploid lines, cell suspension culture, and the design and use of the GreenTray® bioreactor.
SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS
Micropropagation: Propagation of plants, rootstocks or varieties, selected in conventional breeding programmes. It is mainly applied in fruit trees (Pyrus spp., Prunus spp., Malus spp., Juglans regia, Pistacia vera, Corylus avellana, Actinidia deliciosa, Jatropha curcas) and ornamentals.
Embryo rescue: recovery of viable plants from immature embryos derived from crosses between early peach, nectarine and apricot varieties. Applicable to interspecific crosses in ornamentals, vegetables or fruit trees.
Generation of double haploid and polyploid lines: generation, through androgenesis or parthenogenesis, of double haploid lines (LDHs), useful to produce homozygous lines, parents of commercial hybrids. This service is offered for various vegetable, legume and ornamental crops. The production of tetraploid lines is offered for horticultural and ornamental crops.
Cell cultures: generation, maintenance and production of cell cultures from different plant parts and species.
In vitro cultivation in the GreenTray® Bioreactor: This bioreactor, designed and patented by IRTA, is used in the propagation of various plants, woody and herbaceous, and in tolerance tests to biotic or abiotic stresses.
