Cryopreservation of pineapple (Ananas comosus) apices

TL;DR

This study evaluates vitrification-based cryopreservation of pineapple apices, identifying optimal conditions that achieve up to 65% survival in certain varieties, enabling direct recovery without callus formation.

Contribution

It demonstrates an effective vitrification protocol for pineapple apices, improving cryopreservation success and recovery methods for in vitro plantlets.

Findings

Vitrification yielded higher survival rates than encapsulation-dehydration.

Optimal cryopreservation involved specific sucrose, glycerol, and PVS2 treatments.

Survival rates varied among pineapple varieties, with up to 65% in Puerto Rico.

Abstract

The encapsulation-dehydration and vitrification techniques were experimented for freezing apices of pineapple in vitro plantlets. Positive results were achieved using vitrification only. Optimal conditions included a 2-d preculture of apices on medium supplemented with 0.3M sucrose, loading treatment for 25 min in medium with 0.75M sucrose + 1M glycerol and dehydration with PVS2 vitrification solution at 0 degrees C for 7 h before rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen. This method resulted in 65, 35 and 25% survival with apices of varieties Puerto Rico, Perolera and Smooth Cayenne, respectively. Recovery of cryopreserved apices took place directly, without transitory callus formation.