Mass production of lilium bulblets in bioreactors

Abstract

Lilium is an important floricultural crop for bulb and cut flower production. Culturing Lilium bulblets from bulbscales is one of the main methods for vegetative propagation; however, the traditional tissue culture requires numerous vessels and considerable labour. This study evaluates the efficiency of using air-lift bioreactor systems to produce Lilium bulblets from bulbscale segments. The factors that affect bulblet formation and enlargement in vitro and specific factors that affect bulblet production in air-lift bioreactor systems were investigated. A simple method to mass produce bulblets by using a one-step bioreactor culture is indicated, and a pilot-scale bioreactor culture is introduced. The effects of storage temperature and duration on the carbohydrates and related enzymes of in vitro-produced bulblets are determined during breaking of dormancy. A suitable bulblet size for culturing is determined after observing the emergence of cauline leaves from different sized bulblets that are produced in solid and bioreactor cultures. Finally, an efficient method to mass produce high-quality Lilium bulblets is selected based on the production cost.