Pretreatment with abscisic acid accompanied by sucrose improves callus survival after cryopreservation of hazel (Corylus avellana L.) by desiccation

In the current study, a simple cryopreservation method (desiccation) was applied to Corylus avellana L. callus. Accordingly, the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) concentration, pretreatment duration on MS medium containing ABA + 10% sucrose, and storage length in liquid nitrogen (LN) on the callus survival rate were investigated. Calli's survival was assessed 8 weeks after exiting from LN. Callus survival after cryopreservation was significantly affected by the concentration and duration of the treatment with ABA-supplemented media. However, storage duration in LN did not have an impact on the callus survival rate. In the present study, the highest survival rate (45.79%) was obtained in both treatments of 20 days preculture on medium containing 2 mg l(- 1) ABA following 2 h desiccation-one day storage in LN and 2.5 h desiccation-thirty days storage in LN. Key message The desiccation method with the help of ABA and sucrose was an effective method in the successful cryopreservation of Corylus avellana L. callus.

Automated summary

The study investigated the cryopreservation of Corylus avellana L. callus using a simple desiccation method. The concentration and duration of ABA treatment significantly affected callus survival rate, while storage duration in liquid nitrogen had no impact on survival rate.