In Vitro Immature Embryo Culture of Paeonia ostii ‘Feng Dan’

Abstract

Paeonia ostii ‘Feng Dan’ is an economically important, multipurpose woody plant in terms of its medical, ornamental, and oil values; however, there is a noticeable contradiction between the increasing demands and the lack of excellent germplasm resources because of traditional breeding and propagation approaches. In vitro embryo culture is an attractive option for this issue. This study presents a protocol for in vitro immature embryo culture in P. ostii ‘Feng Dan’, which involves two steps: 1) immature seeds at 30 days after anthesis (DAA) (cellularization stage of endosperm, proembryo stage) or after being cultured in vitro for cotyledon embryo formation (upward micropyle with placenta was the best inoculation method with the highest ratio of seed with cotyledon embryo of 66.67%); and 2) seedling establishment was realized within 7 months via embryo (at 40 DAA or after) germination, shoot induction, rooting, and acclimatization. The multiplication potential was increased with embryo maturity. This protocol provides an available reference for embryo rescue and propagation of tree peony and will be beneficial to shortening the breeding cycle.