Abstract
Bulbs are the main vegetative reproductive organs of Fritillaria meleagris L. In nature, as well as in vitro, they become dormant and require low temperatures for further growth during the next vegetative period. In the present study, using 10 μM of gibberellic acid (GA3), or gibberellin biosynthesis (GA) inhibitors—ancymidol (A) and paclobutrazol (P)—the dynamic changes in soluble sugars, fructose and glucose content, fresh weight and sprouting capacity were investigated. F. meleagris bulbs were cultured on medium with GA3 and GA inhibitors for 1, 2 and 5 weeks at two different temperatures (24 and 7 °C). GA3 improved bulb fresh weight, as well as sprouting percentage at both tested temperatures, compared to the control. The highest fresh weight increase (57.7%) and sprouting rate (29.02%) were achieved when bulbs were grown at 24 °C for 5 weeks. In addition, soluble sugar content was the highest in bulbs grown for 5 weeks on medium supplemented with GA3. The main sugar in fritillary bulbs was glucose, while fructose content was lower. The sensitivity of bulbs to GA inhibitors differed and significantly affected sugar content in bulbs. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the sugar composition in F. meleagris bulbs during breaking of the bulb’s dormancy and its sprouting.
Highlights
Snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris L.) belongs to the Liliaceae family, which are bulbous geophyte plants
If we calculated the fresh weight increase after 5 weeks of growth in comparison to initial fresh weight (~90 mg/bulb), the fresh weight increase ranged from 31.1% for bulbs grown on medium with P to 57.7% for bulbs grown on medium with GA3
Glucose was the main sugar in fritillary bulbs
Summary
Snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris L.) belongs to the Liliaceae family, which are bulbous geophyte plants. Fritillaria species are mainly distributed throughout temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere. These plants spend a particular period of the year in the form of dormant bulbs under the ground. The production of fritillaries with very attractive flowers, used for horticultural purposes, by conventional methods is very slow and it takes several years to produce a whole plant [1]. Beside horticultural production, these plants have potential for medical use, because of their phytochemical properties [2].
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