DESICCATION AND THE SURVIVAL OF AESCULUS-CASTANEA, AND QUERCUS EMBRYO AXES THROUGH CRYOPRESERVATION

Isolated embryo axes of Aesculus, Castanea, and Quercus were cultured after increasing periods of desiccation. A portion of the dried axes at each harvest were also frozen in liquid nitrogen before culture. In all cases, there was a level of desiccation after which viability decreased, although some desiccation was necessary for the survival of axes through freezing. Thus, for all species tested, there was a window of desiccation during which survival through freezing was maximized. Differences in the level of survival through freezing during this window ranged from complete survival of A. hippocastanum, survival and growth of the root with C. sativa, and callus growth from Quercus sp. © 1992.