Micropropagation of Grapevine and Strawberry from South Russia: Rapid Production and Genetic Uniformity

Abstract

Grapes and strawberries are major fruit crops with a dynamic, fast-growing global market. In addition to conventional techniques, biotechnological tools allow the preservation of valuable genotypes of both crops and the large-scale propagation of high-quality material. We have developed new protocols for expeditious and reliable micropropagation of grapes and strawberries cultivated in south Russia. In vitro cultivation on semisolid media was combined with rapid propagation in bioreactors. A six-week cycle of propagation in a bioreactor resulted in a 300-fold increase in fresh mass, with a propagation rate of ~5 in grapes and ~20 in strawberries. Genetic analysis using the inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) DNA fingerprinting technique confirmed the full uniformity of the regenerants. The results of this research will support the local horticultural industry with fast and efficient propagation systems of new breeding lines, introduced varieties, and elite cultivars.