Project Team
Students
Riya Bhalodia
Biology
Penn State Harrisburg
Faculty Mentors
Sairam V. Rudrabhatla
Penn State Harrisburg
Biology and Science
Project
https://sites.psu.edu/mcreu/files/formidable/2/bhalodia_riya_MC-REU-Poster.pdf
Project Video
Project Abstract
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a multi-purpose crop cultivated for its fiber, seed, and a rich spectrum of phytochemicals. Recent legalization has spurred a renewed interest in the study and use of the plant’s cannabinoids for clinical and therapeutic applications. The aim of this study was to optimize an efficient somatic embryogenesis system for incorporation of value-added traits. Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a developmental method where a totipotent cell can be reprogrammed to form a somatic embryo under the influence of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs). This process is advantageous in tissue culture because of the high regeneration rate, genetic stability, and low rate of chimerism in genetic transformation. Although SE has been attempted in hemp, propagating whole plants has not been successful. In the proposed study, we investigated the effects of polyamines on inducing somatic embryogenesis in hemp. Polyamines are aliphatic nitrogenous compounds present in all living organisms that play an essential role in regulating cell division in actively growing tissues, secondary metabolic processes, stress responses, and cell extension. Putrescine (Put), Spermidine (Spd), and Spermine (Spm) are the most prevalent in plants. Hypocotyls and leaves from 10-day-old seedlings were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) Basal medium with vitamins supplemented with 0.1 mg L-1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and Put (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mM), Spd and Spm (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 µM), and control (0 mM). Among the polyamines tested, 0.5 μM and 1.0 μM Spm induced the highest amount of embryogenic callus.
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