Assessment of genetic fidelity among Agave tequilana plants propagated asexually via rhizomes versus in vitro culture

Agave tequilana is a species of great economic importance for the Mexican society. Like most agaves, it can be propagated either sexually or asexually. However, plants originating from rhizomes are mainly used for commercial production. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic fidelity of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant cell, tissue and organ culture tissue and organ culture, 2010-12, Vol.103 (3), p.403-409
Main Authors: Torres-Morán, Martha Isabel, Escoto-Delgadillo, Martha, Molina-Moret, Sandy, Rivera-Rodríguez, Diana M., Velasco-Ramírez, Ana P., Infante, Diógenes, Portillo, Liberato
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Agave
Agave tequilana
Aquatic plants
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotechnology
Cluster analysis
Economic importance
Embryonic growth stage
Fidelity
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetic variability
In vitro methods and tests
Life Sciences
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Plant Pathology
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Propagation
Research Note
Rhizomes
Somaclonal variation
Somatic embryogenesis
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Summary:Agave tequilana is a species of great economic importance for the Mexican society. Like most agaves, it can be propagated either sexually or asexually. However, plants originating from rhizomes are mainly used for commercial production. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic fidelity of plants that were obtained from the field and propagated from rhizomes and of those propagated by in vitro culture methods (somatic embryogenesis and proliferation of axillary buds). We used an inverse ISTR (sequence-tagged repeat) molecular marker based on retrotransposon sequences to detect variability among related individual plants. Cluster analysis showed that plants could be grouped according to the propagation method employed. Plants propagated by the same in vitro method were found to be distinct from those propagated in the field. Even within each method, plants were not genetically identical. Genomic changes were evidenced not only in plants subjected to somaclonal variation in vitro but were also evident in those propagated through the natural asexual process, despite the fact that they were considered true clones. The differences observed in plants confirm the existence of asexual genetic variability.
ISSN:0167-6857
1573-5044
DOI:10.1007/s11240-010-9777-6