Abstract
Three caper (Capparis spinosa L.) biotypes grown on the Sicilian island of Salina (38°33′49″ N) were micropropagated to evaluate two different in vitro culture systems: one using the traditional solid medium, and the other based on liquid culture in a PlantForm bioreactor. PlantForm is a temporary immersion system (TIS), a new propagation method in which the shoots undergo temporary immersion in a liquid medium in order to avoid the accumulation of gas through forced ventilation. This study proposes a protocol to improve the efficiency of in vitro propagation of caper plants, while also reducing production costs, because of the elimination of the gelling agent, and manual labor, requiring limited subcultures and posing minimal contamination risks. Our results show that the caper shoots propagated in bioreactors demonstrated good adaptability and better growth rates than those grown in the conventional system. Statistically significant differences were observed between plants grown in the PlantForm liquid culture and those grown in solid medium regarding the number and length of shoots, which were further promoted by the addition of plant growth regulators (PGRs). The relative growth and real proliferation rate of the caper explants were higher when using meta-Topolin than when using 6-benzylaminopurine as a PGR. Overall, the TIS improved in vitro caper culture by promoting the proliferation, length, and vigor of the shoots.
Highlights
The genus Capparis belongs to the family Capparaceae which includes about 250 species [1].The caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a perennial xerophytic shrub naturally spread throughout the Mediterranean basin, with two subspecies: C. spinosa subsp. spinosa and C. spinosa subsp. rupestris [2], and widely diffused both in the wild and in the cultivated form
The C. spinosa shoots produced in PlantForm showed good adaptability and a better growth rate than those grown on a solid substrate (p ≤ 0.05)
This study aimed to understand the usefulness of PlantForm bioreactors as a valid alternative to traditional solid-substrate techniques, in terms of proliferation indexes, relative growth rate, and number and length of shoots
Summary
The genus Capparis belongs to the family Capparaceae which includes about 250 species [1].The caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a perennial xerophytic shrub naturally spread throughout the Mediterranean basin, with two subspecies: C. spinosa subsp. spinosa and C. spinosa subsp. rupestris [2], and widely diffused both in the wild and in the cultivated form. The most important area for its commercial production is Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, and Greece), where it is cultivated both in traditional and in specialized systems (especially for its flower buds, and for its unripe fruits and young shoots, which are pickled in salt or vinegar and used as a condiment) [3]. In. Italy, caper crops are mainly distributed in the south, and traditional production is concentrated in the small islands around Sicily (mostly, Pantelleria and the Aeolian Islands) where the species plays an important economic role [4,5]. The importance of caper production is linked to its use in the food industry as well as in medicine and cosmetics [6,7,8]. One of the most important aspects is related to the propagation system.
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