Novel accelerated in vitro breeding for phytoremediation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of the collaboration between Southern Sun BioSystems and the University of South Carolina (USC) is to transfer technology to support an environmental plant breeding and remediation technology-development center supplying hardware, protocols for breeding-selection and mass production, commercial numbers of elite plants for nurseries and remediation businesses, with licensing and tracking mechanisms for protecting intellectual property. This project supports the initial development of a novel technology for breeding a large biomass, monoculture forming wetland plant for phytoremediation. The technology transfer capitalizes on Southern Sun's innovative plant culture technologies and equipment. The critical element of somaclonal breeding is amplification of the genetic variation-generating step, that is the number of cell divisions in the totipotent cell culture phase and the overall biomass subjected to selection. It is hypothesized that the exponential growth phase of the embryogenic tissue culture can be extended by providing optimal conditions with minimized disturbance, and this will result in increased overall growth rates. Secondly application of a selection pressure by exposure to the targeted pollutant with alters the frequency of somaclonal variants. Supporting Phase 1 Objectives: (1) acceleration of mass propagation of the shoot regenerating tissue culture; (2) frequency of somaclonal variation: role of the extended exponential growth phase of the cell culture; (3) frequency of somaclonal variation: the role of preselection; (4) certification of elite lines: first order detoxification rate constant; (5) test the stability of the new trait after nursery grow-out. Efficacy of this novel approach will be demonstrated by selection of elite lines with superior haloorganic detoxification from in vitro cultures at USC. Detoxification rates under hydrological conditions simulating field conditions will be determined in Southern Sun's culture vessels and environmental control units.