Efficient Selection Method for Drought Tolerant Plants Using Osmotic Agents

Abstract

An efficient method to select drought tolerant Korean native plants using in vitro culture system was established in this study. While the plant growths and root inductions of each plant were proportionately affected by concentrations of mannitol on in vitro culturing seven plant species to test tolerance to osmotic stress, growth index (GI) and number of root induction of Chrysanthemi zawadskii var. latilobum and Dianthus chinensis var. semperflorens plantlets were higher than the others in 125mM mannitol. In test with polyethylene glycol (PEG), plantlets of C. zawadskii var. latilobum and D. chinensis var. semperflorens showed higher GI and number of root induction than the others in 33.3mM. On testing whether the well grown plants under osmotic stress are tolerant to virtual drought stress, there were significant differences in the withering rates of C. zawadskii var. latilobum and D. chinensis and those of were Aster yomena and Centaurea cyanus after 12 days without watering. It was found that significantly lower stomata numbers were shown in both drought tolerant plants than the sensitive plants. Averages of the stomata circumferencesand the stomata area in the plantlets of the tolerant species were larger than those of the sensitive plants D. chinensis var. semperflorens showed the lowest transpiration level per unit area. The highest stomatal area per unit area was found in C. zawadskii, followed by D. chinensis var. semperflorens, Aster yomena and C. cyanus. In conclusion, C. zawadskii var. latilobum and D. chinensis var. semperflorens were more tolerant to drought than other two species. Furthermore in vitro selection was successfully used to screen drought tolerance species of native plant species.