Abstract
To assess somaclonal variation, ‘Gala’ and ‘Royal Gala’ trees obtained via axillary and adventitious bud formation were compared ex vitro to conventionally grafted trees. In general, tissue culture-derived trees were relatively erect in comparison to grafted trees. Their branch angles were narrower than those of grafted trees. All trees that flowered had pink blossoms. There were no obvious differences in flowering time or in floral morphology. Most of the seven-year-old grafted control trees produced more fruits than either axillary or regenerated trees. Although there were differences in the range of fruit color between ‘Royal Gala’ and ‘Gala’ apples in both the control and tissue culture-derived plants (the fruits of ‘Royal Gala’ were darker red and more striped than those of ‘Gala’) and also in the degree of pigmentation from tree-to-tree, none of the variation exceeded that observed among apples harvested from an individual ‘Royal Gala’ or ‘Gala’ control tree for either the plants derived from axillary buds or adventitiously. Since both ‘Gala’ and ‘Royal Gala’ axillary buds showed very little somaclonal variation for the morphological and reproductive traits we studied, it appears that tissue culture may be a useful way to propagate these cultivars.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abu-Qaoud, H., R.M. Skirvin, and E. Chevreau, 1990. In vitroseparation of chimeral pears into their component genotypes. Euphytica 48: 189-196.
Al-Wasel, A., 1993. Maximizing and minimizing pear (Pyrussp.) chimeral segregation in vitro. Ph.D. thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Chevreau, E., L. Decourtye, and R.M. Skirvin, 1989. A review of pear chimeras: their identification and separation into pure types. Hort Science 24: 32-34.
Dayton, D.F., 1959. Red color distribution in apple skin. J Amer Soc Hort Sci 74: 72-80.
Dayton, D.F., 1962. The distribution of red color in the skin of apple varieties of ‘McIntosh’ parentage. J Amer Soc Hort Sci 82: 51- 55.
Dayton, D.F., 1966. The pattern and inheritance of anthocyanin distribution in red pears. Proc Amer Soc Hort Sci 89: 110-116.
Dermen, H., 1960. Nature of plant sports. Amer Hort Mag 39: 123- 173.
Donovan, A.M., R. Morgan, C. Valobra-Piagnani, M.S. Ridout, D.J. James & M.E. Garrett, 1994a. Assessment of somaclonal variation in apple. I. Resistance to the fire blight pathogen, Erwinia amylovora. J Hort Sci 69: 105-113.
Donovan, A.M., R. Morgan, C. Valobra-Piagnani, M.S. Ridout, D.J. James & M.E. Garrett, 1994b. Assessment of somaclonal variation in apple. II. Rooting ability and shoot proliferation in vitro. J Hort Sci 69: 115-122.
McMeans, O. 1997. The use of tissue culture to separate apple (Malus sp.) chimeras into their constituent genotype(s) and to induce anthocyanin production. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Illinois, Urbana Illinois, USA.
McPheeters, K. & R.M. Skirvin, 1983. Histogenic layer manipulation in chimeral ‘Thornless Evergreen’ trailing blackberry. Euphytica 32: 351-360.
Rom, R.C., 1970. Burr-knot observations on clonal apple rootstocks in Arkansas. Fruit Var and Hort Digest 24(3): 66-68.
Sarwar, M., 1996. Cytokinin tolerance and in vitro selection for dwarfism in apple (MalusX domestica). Ph.D. Thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Skirvin, R.M., K.D. McPheeters & M.A. Norton, 1994. Sources and frequency of somaclonal variation. Hort Science 29(11): 1232- 1237.
Sriskandarajah, S., R.M. Skirvin, H. Abu-Qaoud & S.S. Korban, 1990. Factors involved in the elongation and growth of adventitious and axillary shoots of three apple scion cultivars in vitro. J Hort Sci 65(2): 113-121.
Steffens, G.L. and R.H. Zimmerman. 1989. Management of selfrooted tissue-cultured apple trees: II. Growth regulator effects. Acta Hort 239: 121-124.
Steffens, G.L. and R.H. Zimmerman. 1990. Management systems for tissue culture propagated apple trees. Acta Hort 285: 119- 126.
White, A.G., 1991. The ‘Gala’ apple. Fruit Var J 45(1): 2-3.
White, A.G. & N.M. Johnstone, 1991. Measurement of fruit colour in ‘Gala’ (Malus pumilia) and twenty of its sports by image analysis. New Zealand J of Crop and Hort Sci 19: 221-223.
Young, E. & H. Tyler, 1983. Burrknot control on apple rootstocks. Compact Fruit Tree 16: 121-123.
Zimmerman, R.H. and S.S. Miller. 1991. Orchard growth and fruiting of micropropagated apple trees. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 116: 780-785.
Zimmerman, R.H. and G.L. Steffens. 1989. Management of selfrooted tissue-cultured apple trees: I. Orchard Establishment and early growth. Acta Hort. 239: 117-120.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McMeans, O., Skirvin, R.M., Otterbacher, A. et al. Assessment of tissue culture-derived ‘Gala’ and ‘Royal Gala’ apples (Malus × domestica Borkh.) for somaclonal variation. Euphytica 103, 251–257 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018316422435
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018316422435