High Frequency of Polyploidization in Regenerated Plants of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Cultivar 'Tetra Vulcan'.

Abstract

We used flow cytometry to analyze chromosomal changes in regenerants of the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cultivar ‘Tetra Vulcan’ (4x). About 80% of regenerants showed increased ploidy levels. Twenty-four (20.7%), 87 (75.0%), 1 (0.9%), and 4 (3.4%) regenerants had ploidy levels of 4x, 8x, 12x, and 16x, respectively. 4x and 8x regenerants grew normally and similarly to wild-type plants, but 12x and 16x plants showed remarkable delays in growth. Plant height and leaf size among the 4x and 8x plants were the same as in wild-type plants, but those of the 12x and 16x plants were dramatically reduced. Leaves of plants with ploidy levels of 8x or more were thicker than those of 4x plants, and this character increased with increasing ploidy level. Our results confirmed that regeneration from leaf segments is an efficient method of polyploidization in Kalanchoe.