Evaluation of a Simple Automated Bioreactor for the Production of Pelargoniums Progress Report –March 1993
Date February 26, 1993
Title of Project Evaluation of a Simple Automated Bioreactor for the Production of Pelargoniums
Institution where work is being conducted The Pennsylvania State University
Amount of Endowment Grant $ 5, 000
Covering Period 6/92 to 5/93
Anticipated Date of Project Completion/Final Report 6/96
Individual(s) Conducting Project:
(List Project Leader First)
Richard N. Arteca – Title Professor
Telephone Number 814-863-2252
Evaluation of a Simple Automated Bioreactor for the Production of Pelargoniums
Richard N. Arteca
Pennsylvania State University
- A. Project Objectives:
- Our major objectives for the second year of this project are to:
- 1. Manipulate environmental conditions, plant hormone amounts and ratios and othermedia supplements to promote maximum growth of callus and cell suspension growth;
- 2. Induce plantlet formation and maximize the number of plantlets formed withdifferent hormonal treatments in callus and cell suspension cultures;
- 3. Once we have maximized plantlet formation we will transfer these plantlets togrowth media containing different ratios of plant hormones in order to induce root
formation and then grow the plants in tissue culture to increase the size and number. We
will then begin work to acclimate these plants for transfer to the greenhouse where they will
be grown to flowering.
- B. Summary of Work Conducted:
- At the present time the results to date are preliminary and not suitable for dissemination.
- C. Results to Date:
- Our work over the past six months (September 92 to March 93) has been to manipulateconditions to maximize the growth rates, shoot and root formation in our callus and
suspension culture lines and to use different cryoprotectants in order to cryopreserve our
existing cell fines. We have been successful in maximizing growth rates of our suspension
cultures by modifying environmental conditions, plant hormone amounts and ratios and
other media supplements to promote maximum growth of the callus and suspension
cultures while still maintaining chromosome stability. All attempts thus far have been
unsuccessful in cryopreserving either callus or suspension culture lines, however, we are
still working on this. We have been successful in the induction of organogenic callus,
however, our major stumbling block to date has been that we are unable to grow adequate
numbers of rooted plants per gram of callus in order to proceed to the greenhouse and to
start bioreactor work. While we have been successful in obtaining some small plantlets
only a very small percentage of these will develop roots and enlarge to sufficient size for
transfer to the greenhouse. The plants which do grow to an adequate size will readily
acclimate to the greenhouse. Our future goals will be to focus on overcoming these
problems so we may proceed with the project.
- D. Future Plans Covered by the Endowment Grant:
- Our goals for the next six months of this project are to manipulate environmentalconditions, plant hormone amounts and ratios and other media supplements to maximize
plantlets with roots per gram of callus and promote enlargement of these plants for transfer
to the greenhouse and for use in bioreactor studies.
- After these goals are achieved we will evaluate bioreactor technology for the productionof Pelargonium plants. This will be accomplished by seeding an airlift bioreactor with cells
grown in suspension culture and do the following:
- – treat with hormones to promote maximum growth of callus;
- – induce plantlet production with treatments developed earlier and transfer plantlets tosoil and grow.
- The last phase of this project will be to design a larger bioreactor and evaluate how initialstudies work on a commercial scale.
- E. Anticipated Benefits for Floral Industry:
- The overall goal of the proposed research is to develop an automated bioreactor whichcan be used to increase the commercial production of selected Pelargoniums with desired
characteristics such as new genotypes or disease-free plants rapidly and efficiently. The
availability of such methods will also lead to increased breeding and selection efforts which
in turn will promote increased quality of Pelargoniuma at a reduced cost which is a true
benefit to the floral industry.
