Comparing encapsulation-dehydration and droplet-vitrification for cryopreservation of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) shoot tips

In this study, in vitro shoot tips of two sugarcane clones were successfully cryopreserved using encapsulation-dehydration and droplet-vitrification with two vitrification solutions, PVS2 and PVS3. For both clones, encapsulation-dehydration induced significantly higher recovery, reaching 60% for clone H70-144 and 53% for clone CP68-1026, compared with droplet-vitrification in which recovery was 33-37% for clone H70-144 and 20-27% for clone CP68-1026. Optimal conditions included preculture of encapsulated shoot apices for 2411 in liquid medium with 0.75 M sucrose and dehydration with silica gel to 20% moisture content (fresh weight basis) before direct immersion in liquid nitrogen. With both protocols employed, regrowth of cryopreserved samples, as followed by visual observation, was always rapid and direct. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.