CLONAL FIDELITY AND GENETIC DIVERSITY OF MICROPROPAGATED HANCORNIA SPECIOSA GOMES (Apocynaceae) AS EVALUATED BY MOLECULAR MARKERS

Abstract

The plant tissue culture procedures for asexual multiplication of Hancornia speciosa represent an important process facilitating the preservation of selected genotypes of this threatened species and large-scale production of plantlets for population reinforcement or other utilization. However, there is no research regarding the somaclonal variation of this threatened species at molecular level. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the multiplication process in the genetic stability of H. speciosa plantlets and calluses using molecular markers. The tissue culture techniques for H. speciosa micropropagation used in this study did not influence the occurrence of somaclonal variation, which can be related to the genotypes of the donor plants and to the low concentrations of growth regulators used in tissue culture procedures adopted. The results observed here provide a reliable methodology for further studies involving micropropagation techniques with the goal of preserving selected or endangered genotypes of H. speciosa without genetic losses and producing seedlings of this species on a large scale. In addition, it was possible to verify that the donor plants used in this study showed a relatively low genetic variability.