Date of Award

8-1-2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Dr. Mark A. Schoenbeck

Abstract

The genus Amorphophallus contains many species that are sought after by collectors. A large proportion of these species do not reproduce quickly enough to satisfy the demand. Consequently, the establishment of micropropagation methods to increase the supply is desirable. Though several protocols for tissue culture do exist, these focus on species of agricultural importance that naturally reproduce vegetatively. This research demonstrated the successful in vitro reproduction of Amorphophallus hewittii Alderw., a species that is not known to reproduce vegetatively. The protocol avoided destroying the parent plant through use of petiole material. It concluded with direct transfer of shoots to soil, eliminating the in vitro rooting stage and simplifying the acclimation of plants from culture. Molecular markers based upon Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) were developed to determine genetic stability during the tissue culture process. These markers are useful in a wide variety of investigations. Sufficient loci were found to use this technique in this species. This study reports the first successful in vitro protocol for this species and the first ISSR markers for a non-agricultural Amorphophallus species.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of Biology and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 2007 Douglas Charles Bertelsen.

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