Physiological responses of Aechmea setigera Mart. ex Schult. & Schult. f. (Bromeliaceae) in vitro cultured

Abstract

In vitro propagation of bromeliads is widely used to produce plantlets intended for conservation. This study aims at evaluating physiological responses of Aechmea setigera in vitro cultured under different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). The experiment was conducted in completely randomized design with five treatments (0, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 mg L-1 of BAP). After 90 days of in vitro cultured in stationary liquid MS culture medium it were assessed morphological and biochemical parameters. The BAP increment increased stomatal density, reduced plant size and root number, but increased the number of shoots. There was significant effect of BAP dose on fresh and dry mass. High BAP doses (4.0 and 8.0 mg L-1) promoted the reduction of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll content, but there was no change of chlorophyll b and carotenoids. The concentration of starch and total soluble carbohydrates decreased above 2.0 and 4.0 mg L-1 of BAP, respectively. The total phenolic content decreased with increasing BAP concentrations. Evaluated changes in metabolism elucidate the phenotypic plasticity for in vitro multiplication process in A. setigera.