2024 journal article
Improve<i> Cannabis</i><i> sativa</i> micropropagation through increasing air change rate in photoautotrophic and traditional tissue culture
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE, 372.
author keywords: Natural ventilation; Root development; Explant Growth; In Vitro
open access via doi.org (publisher)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
2. Zero Hunger
(OpenAlex)
15. Life on Land
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: June 11, 2024
Micropropagation is essential for pathogen-free plant materials. However, the conventional in-vitro micropropagation approach poses challenges for optimal growth and development. This study enhances Cannabis sativa micropropagation by implementing a photoautotrophic tissue culture with increased air change rates. This method relies exclusively on photosynthesis for carbohydrate synthesis, eliminating the need for exogenous sugar supplementation. To overcome the limitations of conventional in vitro culture, the photoautotrophic culture requires higher air exchange in the vessel to supply CO2 for photosynthesis. The research evaluates the effects of varying air change rates, comparing conventional tissue culture (TC) with photoautotrophic micropropagation (PAM). Nodal explants, each with 3–4 fully expanded leaves, were transferred to PAM or TC media in Magenta boxes, undergoing four distinct air change rate treatments: 0.5 (control), 4.1, 7.9, and 14.5 air change per hour. Magenta boxes were placed under controlled chamber conditions, including a photosynthetic photon flux density of 100 µmol·m−2·s−1, 18-hour photoperiod, 25 °C temperature, 70 % relative humidity, and CO2 concentration of 553 µmol·mol−1; data were collected after a 28-day period. Increasing the air change rate in TC (from 0.5 to 7.9 h−1) and PAM (from 0.5 to 14.5 h−1) resulted in a significant 25.1 % and 146.6 % increase in shoot dry mass, respectively. The number of axillary buds per plant exhibited a linear increase response to increasing air change rates only under PAM; as well as a significant difference between PAM (11.5) and TC (8.3) under an air change rate of 7.9 h−1. Particularly advantageous for PAM was simultaneous root growth, escalating from 5.2 to 44.3 mg as the air change rate rose from 0.5 to 14.5 h−1. Implementing the photoautotrophic culture practice not only accelerated Cannabis micropropagation but also maintained outcomes comparable to traditional sugar-based tissue culture, contributing to cost-effective cultivation practices in the Cannabis and tissue culture industries.