Development of an Embryo Rescue Protocol for Butterfly Weed

Abstract

We documented a successful embryo rescue (ER) protocol for butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), a member of the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae). Milkweed (Asclepias sp.) includes more than 100 species native to the United States, is an important pollinator plant, and has many commercially desirable traits. However, there is little commercial production outside of native plant nurseries because milkweed species are typically seed-grown and suffer from low seed set during pollination, late-term abortion of seed pods, and nonuniform germination. This project determined the optimal growing media (study one) and embryo maturity (study two) to recover mature seedlings from excised embryos and compared the results to those of traditional methods of seed germination (in soilless substrate). Study one investigated three different media: Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium at full strength and half strength and woody plant medium. MS medium at half strength was optimal for butterfly weed germination and maturation, with greater root and shoot lengths at the time of harvest. In study two, the effects of MS medium at half strength on embryo maturation 90, 60, and 30 days after pollination (DAP) were investigated. The optimal time to harvest embryos was 60 DAP; embryos at 30 DAP were capable of germination but not maturation. A mean germination rate of 97.4% was observed when using embryo rescue, but it was 72.3% with mature seed germinated in soilless substrate typical of commercial production. A similar increase in germination rates was observed for all embryo maturities when compared with seed germinated using soilless substrate. The protocol developed for this study should help to standardize production, reduce propagation time, and improve the commercial acceptance and profitability of milkweed.