Somaclonal variation in micro-propagated strawberry detected at the molecular level

Abstract

Meristem tips of three Strawberry cultivars, namely Chandler, SweetCharlie and Gaviota were excised and cultured for 5 weeks on the starting medium. Subculture was carried out for five weeks on shooting medium, and finally shoots transferred to the rooting medium. The obtained plantlets were acclimated under greenhouse condition in medium consisting of peat moss and sand (2:1). DNA extracted from in vitro-derived plantlets and standard propagated plants were analyzed by RAPD-PCR to detect possible drift in genetic stability of micro-propagated plants. Most of the obtained bands from in vitro-derived plantlets in all primers used with the three cultivars were found to be present in the fingerprints of standard propagated plants, demonstrating no variation in the pattern obtained with DNAs from the two sources of strawberry plants. It is concluded that mass propagation via meristem tip culture is reliable in producing genetically similar plants to the mother ones.