Abstract
Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum L.) is a tetraploid (2n = 4x = 44) species cultivated as a culinary crop mainly in Europe and North America. A novel breeding line, rhubarb PC49, selected with character of non-autumn dormancy, has demonstrated great commercial potential. Micropropagation was applied for rhubarb PC49 to rapidly produce a large number of planting materials for crop production. The investigation showed that micropropagated plants can be established as a field crop, however, a high degree of variation and poor field performance were observed. Within a few years more than half of the regenerants were lost in the field, resulting in crop failure. In addition, abnormal chromosome numbers at meiosis, e.g., 2n = 52, together with chromosomal fragmentations and stickiness, lagging, unclear disjunction and tripolar division were noted only in micropropagated plants. All the results suggest that somaclonal variation may have occurred in micropropagated rhubarb PC49, causing crop failure.
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