Standardization of vitrification treatments for safe cryo conservation of banana (Musa acuminata Colla) cultivars using differential scanning calorimetry

Abstract

Cryo-conservation is the most promising approach and reliable method for long term conservation of banana and plantain genetic resources. Prior to the development of a safe cryo-conservation procedure for highly hydratetissues of any vegetatively propagated crop species such as banana, suitable vitrification treatments involvingloading solution in combination with Plant Vitrification Solution 2 (PVS2) solution have to be standardized. In thepresent study, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) technique was attempted to identify the best vitrificationtreatment using shoot apices as storage explants in two banana cultivars namely Grand Naine and Red banana.The results showed that DSC thermogram curves detected the formation of ice nucleation at a temperature of 18.67°C for Grand Naine and -19.16°C for Red banana in the control shoot apices. Among the sixteen vitrificationtreatment combinations tested, the treatments, LP6, LP7, LP10, LP11, LP14 and LP15 were judged as besttreatments for cryo-conservation of both banana cultivars as revealed by the formation of glass transition eventsin the vitrified shoot apices. This information obtained through DSC experiments would further provide scope fordesigning safe cryo-conservation system for banana. This is the first report to demonstrate the application ofDSC to optimize the vitrification treatments that would be adopted for developing cryo-conservation protocol forMusa germplasm.