TITLE:
Fast and Effective Thermotherapy Treatment for In Vitro Virus Eradication in Apple and Pear Trees
AUTHORS:
Analí Lizárraga, Javier Ascasíbar, María Luz González
KEYWORDS:
Heat Therapy, Meristem Culture, ACLSV, ApMV, Malus, Pyrus
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.8 No.10,
September
20,
2017
ABSTRACT: Heat therapy followed by the isolation and in vitro culture of apical meristems is a suitable procedure for
virus eradication. However, the period of heat treatment is usually long (28 - 50
days) and the yield of viable plants free of viruses after treatment is often
low (in
vitro shoots using a temperature gradient from 25℃ to 40℃ increasing 1℃ per day for a shorter period of time (18 days) with the posterior isolation and
culture of apical meristems. All DNA samples analyzed, obtained from plants developed
from meristems, were 100% free of ApMV and almost 90% free of ACLSV. With this in vitro procedure combined we obtained
a good yield of tested plants free of viruses. Our method is fast and effective
and it could be also useful to eradicate these and other viruses in other fruit
trees.