The Growth of Acer pseudoplatanus Cells in a Synthetic Liquid Medium: Response to the Carbohydrate, Nitrogenous and Growth Hormone Constituents

Abstract

A synthetic culture medium which supports a high level of growth of a scrially propagated cell suspension culture of Acer pseudoplatanus is described. The sucrose of this medium can be effectively replaced by glucose or fructose or a mixture of glucose and fructose or galactose or maltose or soluble starch. When the carbohydrate is glucose or fructose no other sugars appear in the culture medium in significant amounts. Glucose is absorbed in greater quantity than fructose from an equimolar mixture of these sugars. When sucrose is supplied both glucose and fructose appear in the medium. Glucose appears in maltose medium, and maltose and glucose in soluble starch medium. Under the standard conditions of culture, media containing 2 % sucrose or 2 % glucose become depleted of sugar before the 25th day of incubation. Enhanced yield of the cultures can be obtained by raising the initial sucrose concentration to 6 %. – A supply of nitrate is essential for maximum yield and healthy growth. Growth, in the presence of nitrate, is significantly enhanced by a supply of urea. Addition of casein hydrolysate or of a mixture of amino acids enhances growth in the presence of nitrate and urea and particularly when nitrate is omitted. – When kinetin is omitted or incorporated at the standard level (0.25 mg/I), 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D) at 1.0 mg/l is essential for continuation of growth at a high level. It cannot be replaced by indol‐3yl‐acetic acid (IAA). 1‐naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 10 mg/l permits of a low level of growth with abnormal aggregation. When the level of kinetin is raised to 10 mg/l a high level of growth occurs in the absence of added auxin but the cultures become brown and tend to show increasing aggregation on subculture.