Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 university of zanjan ,faculty of agriculture
2 university of zanjan ,faculty of agriculture , zanjan , iran
3 Research Institute of Modern Biological Techniques, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objective: Ferula gummosa Boiss. is a perennial plant belonging to the family Apiaceae and is native to Iran. Besides its medicinal properties, this valuable plant is used in the cosmetics and personal care industries, as well as in jewelry making. One major difficulty in cultivating F. gummosa is its prolonged dormancy phase, which can last up to nine months under natural conditions. This extended dormancy, combined with excessive harvesting from natural habitats, has placed the species at risk of extinction in the wild. Therefore, this study aimed to overcome seed dormancy through embryo culture techniques and identify the F. gummosa ecotype with the most promising response to tissue culture. In addition, this study investigated the effects of different concentrations of plant growth regulators on callus induction and subsequent regeneration, with the ultimate objective of optimizing micropropagation techniques and supporting the large-scale propagation of F. gummosa.
Methodology: Four F. gummosa ecotypes were initially collected from three counties: Kashan, Abadeh, and Khalkhal. To determine embryo germination percentage and rate, embryos were aseptically excised from the seeds and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. The cultures were maintained in a growth chamber for one month to facilitate germination and seedling development. To evaluate callus induction across ecotypes, root explants were excised from seedlings developed through embryo culture. These explants were subsequently cultured on MS medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at 1 and 1.5 mg/L and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 3 and 5 mg/L. The cultures were maintained in an incubator at 20°C until callus formation occurred. The resulting calluses were then evaluated for size and weight to assess growth performance. During the subsequent regeneration phase, selected calluses were transferred to MS medium containing kinetin (KIN) at concentrations of 2, 4, and 8 mg/L. Regenerative responses and growth performance were compared after two months of culture.
Results: The embryo culture results showed that the Kashan ecotypes achieved the most favorable outcomes in terms of both germination percentage and germination rate. Furthermore, embryo culture effectively overcame the prolonged dormancy of F. gummosa, enabling viable seedlings to be obtained within one month. During the callus induction stage, the most vigorous calluses were obtained from Kashan ecotype cultured on medium supplemented with NAA at 5 mg/L. During the regeneration stage, organogenesis occurred in 42% of the calluses, with the medium supplemented with KIN at 4 mg/L yielding the most favorable results. In addition, 53% of the calluses continued to proliferate and developed into larger cell masses. The Kashan ecotype also demonstrated the most favorable performance during this stage, maintaining its superiority in the tissue culture response.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that tissue culture techniques are suitable for propagating F. gummosa and can effectively overcome its prolonged dormancy period, which may extend to nine months under natural conditions. The favorable responses observed during both callus induction and regeneration further demonstrate that tissue culture techniques have considerable potential for large-scale propagation of this valuable medicinal plant and for shortening its growth cycle. Among the evaluated ecotypes, those derived from the Kashan population consistently showed better results in embryo culture, callus formation, and regeneration. These findings suggest that the Kashan ecotype is a promising candidate for further optimization of tissue culture protocols and the development of efficient micropropagation methods for the mass production and conservation of F. gummosa.
Keywords
Main Subjects
effect on seed dormancy break in Ferula gummosa Boiss. Iranian Journal of Dynamic Agriculture, 13(2): 83-93.
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