First Ex Situ In Vitro Propagation Protocol of Coronilla viminalis Salisb., An Endangered Fodder Species Adapted to Drought and Salinity

Abstract

Coronilla viminalis Salisb. is a fodder leguminous plant from the Canary Islands and Northwestern Africa with adaptation to drought. Its conservation status is critical. Its low germination capacity and intense loss of viability of the seeds over time complicate its conservation, limiting its long-term maintenance in germplasm banks and hampering its potential use as a resilient fodder crop. Therefore, in this work, two alternative propagation methods have been addressed. The first was based on facilitating seed germination under aseptic conditions, supplementing the media with gibberellic acid (GA3). The latter consisted of creating a micropropagation method from nodal segments and testing different media and pretreatments with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The quantity and quality of the roots were assessed, and the plant acclimation rate was measured. The results showed that the optimum concentration of GA3 for germination, up to 98%, was 250 PPM. The experiments showed that using IAA in the micropropagation media is critical for in vitro rooting in this species. A hormonal pretreatment with IAA significantly improved the rooting efficiency compared to supplementing it into the culture media. One hundred percent of acclimated plants survived the process. These new protocols will help conserve the species and explore its possibilities as fodder crops.