Fluridone stimulates in vitro seed germination of a rare hardy terrestrial orchid (Platanthera leucophaea)
Rachel E. Helmich, Lawrence W. Zettler, Caleb J. Dvorak, Susanne DiSalvo

TL;DR
This study shows that fluridone, an herbicide, can help germinate seeds of a rare North American orchid in a lab setting, which could aid in its conservation.
Contribution
The study introduces fluridone as a novel method to break seed dormancy in hardy terrestrial orchids.
Findings
Fluridone added to agar media significantly stimulated seedling development in asymbiotic treatments.
Seedlings in asymbiotic plates with fluridone reached leaf elongation 385 days after sowing.
Fluridone shows potential for use in the conservation of rare terrestrial orchid species.
Abstract
Seeds of temperate terrestrial (hardy) orchids are considered more difficult to germinate compared to their tropical epiphytic counterparts, presumably because they have higher levels of abscisic acid (ABA) in their seed coats which prevents seeds from germinating prematurely during winter dormancy. In nature, ABA is gradually broken down (stripped) by natural weathering, triggering germination. This process can be shortened artificially, however, by using chemical bleaching agents and cold-moist stratification with mixed results. In this study, we explored the use of fluridoneto break seed dormancy in a hardy orchid native to North America, Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindl. This organic compound (IUPAC name: 1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl] pyridin-4(1H)-one) is a commercial herbicide that inhibits ABA biosynthesis. We added fluridone directly to agar media prior to…
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Taxonomy
TopicsFlowering Plant Growth and Cultivation · Plant and animal studies · Plant tissue culture and regeneration
