Increased Zygote-Derived Plantlet Formation through In Vitro Rescue of Immature Embryos of Highly Apomictic Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae).

ABSTRACT: O. ficus-indica (prickly pear cactus) is an important forage and food source in arid and semiarid ecosystems and is the most important cactus species in cultivation globally. The high degree of apomixis in the species is a hindrance in plant breeding programs where genetic segregation is sought for the selection of superior genotypes. To understand if in ovulo embryo rescue could increase the proportion of zygotic seedlings, we compared the mature seed-derived seedlings with those regenerated from in vitro embryo rescue at 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 post-anthesis days (PADs) in four Italian cultivars. The seedlings were classified as apomictic or zygotic based on molecular marker analysis using inter-sequence single repeat (ISSR) primers. Multiple embryos were recovered fr

SUBMITTER: Carra A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10421068 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature