Exposure of carrot seeds to cryopreservation increases root weight and decreases levels of cell wall-linked phenolics.

Abstract

Background: The long-term preservation of plant germplasm is critical to ensure a pool of genetic diversity for future breeding efforts and for conservation management.Although it is important to assess whether the biochemical properties and vigour of the germplasm remain unchanged.

Objective: To investigate the potential effects of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (LN) as a strategy for conservation of carrot.

Results: Seeds were exposed to cryogenic temperatures and growth and development was monitored in Petri dishes (for up to 14 days) and in a pot trial (90 days). By day 7, 53% control seeds had germinated compared with 70% seeds exposed to LN. Biochemical attributes were also assessed. Initial differences were observed in the growth rate of plants, where plants originating from seeds exposed to LN emerged faster than those originating from control seeds. However, at the end of the pot trial, differences were only observed in belowground biomass (i.e., mass of carrots). Biochemical evaluations showed that carotenoids and cell wall-linked phenolics were elevated in carrots produced from seeds exposed to LN.

Conclusion: Overall, the results show that cryopreservation can be used as a viable strategy for long-term preservation of carrot germplasm. https://doi.org/10.54680/fr25210110812.