Dariusz Kulus

Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology in Poland · Laboratory of Ornamental Plants and Vegetable Crops

Zamioculcas zamiifolia, a drought-resistant plant in the family Araceae, is a popular ornamental potted foliage plant originating from tropical east and subtropical southeast Africa. The growth and propagation rate of this species is low in conventional propagation methods. Therefore, the current study aimed at developing a complete in vitro propag...

Pears are among the most economically important fruits in the world that are grown in all temperate zones. Pyrus communis L., ‘Pyrodwarf®(S)’ rootstock is one of the gene sources used to improve fruit productivity, rootstock resistance, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Traditional propagation of P. communis L. is time-consuming and lim...

Cryopreservation of vegetatively propagated plant material is an increasingly widely used method for the efficient and safe storage of germplasm resources around the world. In Poland, there are currently four cryobanks in use for long-term plant protection programs. However, plant tissues propagated in vitro constitute only a small portion of the a...

To date, the use of liquid nitrogen (LN) in plant gene banks is relatively limited. Globally, in 2021, approximately 10,000 accessions were cryopreserved, and their explants were derived from in vitro plants. In Europe, out of 500 banks, only 20 use cryogenic temperatures to store plant germplasms. e implementation of seven conservation projects i...

Studies on nanoparticles’ effects on plants are relevant for horticulture. This study aimed to test the influence of zinc oxide submicron particles (ZnO SMPs), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), and zinc oxide nanoparticles combined with silver nanoparticles (ZnO+1%Ag NPs) applied at 100 and 500 mg·L−1 on the regeneration and biochemical activity...

Narrow-leaf firethorn or pyracantha (Pyracantha angustifolia (Franch.) C.K. Schneid.), from the family Rosaceae, is a species of large and thorny evergreen shrub. In this study, a procedure is presented for efficient axillary shoot multiplication and root induction in P. angustifolia using Murashige and Skoog (MS), woody plant (WPM), and Linsmaier...

The chrysanthemum is one of the most economically important ornamental plants in the Asteraceae family. Unfortunately, the efficacy of breeding through the traditional crossing in this species is highly limited due to inefficient seed setting. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of parental components and crossing frequency on the...

The rice sheath blight disease, caused by Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn fungus, is a major disease of Oryza sativa L. occurring all over the world. Therefore, efforts need to be undertaken to limit the spread of this pathogen, preferably by using environmentally friendly methods. In the present study, 57 fungal isolates were recovered by surface ste...

Peanut stem white rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. is a soil-borne disease that is widely prevailing across peanut farms, leading to serious economic losses. Screening for biocontrol agents against this pathogen is urgent. In this research, 166 fungal isolates including 136 isolates of S. rolfsii and 30 isolates of antagonistic endophytic fun...

Novel and unique properties of nanomaterials, which are not apparent in larger-size forms of the same material, encourage the undertaking of studies exploring the multifaced effects of nanomaterials on plants. The results of such studies are not only scientifically relevant but, additionally, can be implemented to plant production and/or breeding....

This study aimed to analyze the effect of various mutagens on the in vitro development, physiological activity, acclimatization efficiency, and genetic integrity of Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Valentine'. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), microwaves, and X-rays were used at different doses. The profiles of primary and secondary metabolites and the enzymati...

Horticultural crops comprise various economic species extending from fruits, nuts, vegetables, spices and condiments, ornamentals, aromatic, and medicinal plants. Ornamental and fruit plants are produced mainly for their nutritional and aesthetic values, respectively. Unfortunately, many tropical and subtropical species are in danger of extinction...

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the second most important vegetable crop on the market. It was primarily domesticated in Latin America. Italy and Spain are considered secondary centres of its diversification. In the past few decades, the tomato was subjected to intensive breeding programmes for the improvement of desirable traits. Next-generati...

Strawberry and wild strawberry are among the most popular horticultural crops. Due to the development of soilless cultivation systems, the whole-year production of these economically important fruit crops is achievable even in countries with temperate climate. However, the responses of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) and wild strawberry (Fra...

The aim of this study is to analyze the morphogenetic events in Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara (bleeding heart) 'Gold Heart' and 'White Gold' micropropagated in various culture media, and to evaluate the biochemical and genetic stability of the produced plants. None of the sixteen tested plant growth regulator (PGR) combinations improved th...

The popularity of nanoparticles (NPs) is continuously increasing. To date, however, there has been little research on the application of NPs in plant cryopreservation, i.e. storage of tissues in liquid nitrogen (LN). The aim of this study is to analyze the effect and evaluate the usefulness of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in regard to cryobiology stu...

Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara (bleeding heart) is valued both in the horticultural and pharmaceutical markets. Despite its great popularity, information on the in vitro tissue culture technology in this species is limited. There is also little knowledge on the application of plant extracts in the tissue culture systems of plants other than...

Numerous environmental and endogenous factors affect the level of genetic diversity in natural populations. Genetic variability is the cornerstone of evolution and adaptation of species. However, currently, more and more plant species and local varieties (landraces) are on the brink of extinction due to anthropopression and climate change. Their pr...

Dicentra × hybrida is a popular ornamental hybrid, cultivated in parks and gardens worldwide. To date, there are no reports on establishing a plant tissue culture system in this species. This study aims to develop an efficient micropropagation protocol in D. × hybrida ‘Amore Rose’ for further reproduction and breeding. Shoots of in vivo-grown plant...

Despite the tremendous progress in breeding, novel and user-friendly techniques of plant improvement are desirable. The study aimed to analyze the usefulness of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the breeding of chrysanthemum: one of the top ornamental plant species. In vitro regeneration of adventitious shoots from internodes of chrysanthemum 'Lilac...

In chrysanthemum, breeders seek for desirable characteristics of the inflorescence, which can first be established once the plant is mature. The present study aims to determine whether measurement of DNA content can be useful in the detection of somaclonal variants and/or separation of chimera components in chrysanthemum at the early in vitro multi...

Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara is a perennial plant species valued in the horticultural, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical markets. To date, however, there were no studies on tissue culture systems in this species when adjusted from non-meristematic explants. The aim of this study is to induce callogenesis, organogenesis, and somatic embryogenes...

Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara) is a valuable ornamental and medicinal perennial. To date, there are few studies focused on cryopreservation of this species, although it could be useful in storage and breeding. This research is aimed at analyzing the effect of bead composition, type of plant vitrification solution (PVS), and...

The aim of this study is to optimize and evaluate the effectiveness of vitrification, droplet-vitrification, and encapsulation-vitrification techniques in the cryopreservation of Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara ‘Gold Heart’, a popular medicinal and ornamental plant species. In vitro-derived shoot tips were used in the experiments. All three...

In vitro tissue culture technique, especially micropropagation, is attracting increasing attention in the production of ornamental plants. This technique will probably dominate the horticultural market in the near future. Light is one of the several factors affecting the success of in vitro plant tissue cultures. It directly affects the widely unde...

There is little information on the in vitro tissue culture systems in Lamprocapnos spectabilis (bleeding heart). The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on the development, quality, and physiological state of in vitro-grown bleeding heart “Gold Heart” and “White Gold”. Single-node explants were inoculate...

Background: Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara) is a popular vegetatively-propagated ornamental and medicinal plant species with recalcitrant seeds. Efforts have been made to increase the species diversity. However, there has been no research related to cryopreservation of any Fumariaceae species. Objective: The aim of this s...

Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is a plant species important for the phytopharmaceutical industry and in horticulture. Currently, there is lack of standardized plant material with an increased content of secondary meta-bolites in purple coneflower. The following research meets the expectations of the industry, as new selected lines of purple coneflo...

The artificial seed technology is one of the most important tools to plant scientist working with in vitro cultures. Encapsulation can provide a source of aseptic explant material that can be used if stock plants or in vitro cultures become infected with microorganisms. Moreover, the application of artificial seeds allows to maintain gene collectio...

Little is known about the stability of plant chimeras after exposure to liquid nitrogen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation on the cytogenetic and genetic stability, as well as vegetative and generative growth of chrysanthemums that are a solid mutant (‘Richmond’) or periclinal chimeras (‘Lady Orange’ and ‘Lady Sal...

Ex situ preservation of plant genetic resources is essential. Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops on the market. However, the genetic diversity of the clade is limited and suffering from genetic erosion phenomenon. Genebanks experience alleles loss on regeneration of small samples, genetic drift, and somaclonal variation in in vitro...

In the present study, the applicability of four wide-spectrum light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting warm light (AP67, AP673L, G2, and NS1) was determined for the micropropagation of five popular ornamental plant species: Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum, Gerbera jamesonii, Heuchera × hybrida, Ficus benjamina, and Lamprocapnos spectabilis. Plantlets wer...

Tomato is one of the most popular vegetable crops. However, over time, the species has suffered a strong genetic diversity reduction and domestication bottlenecking. This growing trend is known as the genetic erosion. The human intervention on the genetic erosion intensification is high and has severe implications on the future programmes of manage...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of sucrose concentration in the preculture medium, as well as the duration of osmotic dehydration on the efficiency of chrysanthemum 'Richmond', 'Lady Orange' and 'Lady Salmon' cryopreservation by encapsulation-dehydration technique. For all cultivars tested, the best regrowth of cryopreserved sho...

The aim of this research was to optimize the encapsulation-dehydration cryopreservation protocol of Lady Orange chrysanthemum explants on the preculture, pretreatment, and post-rewarming recovery steps. Shoot tips were precultured on MS medium with various abscisic acid concentrations (0–30 μM). Next, the encapsulated explants were osmotically dehy...

Solanum lycopersicum L. is one the most widely grown vegetables in the world. Unfortunately, due to the domestication syndrome and intensive artificial selection this important crop has experienced severe genetic bottlenecks (so-called genetic erosion). The introduction of new alleles makes the basis for tomato improvement. However, it is difficult...

Cryopreservation is widely applied to many economically important species excluding chimera plants which are problematic for long-term conservation. Their storage problems can be circumvented only by cryopreserving meristems. This study looked at the morphogenetic response of shoot tips of periclinal chimera chrysanthemum ‘Lady Orange’ and ‘Lady Sa...

The impact of microwaves on the DNA of plant cells is still ambiguous, but the usage of this electromagnetic radiation as a source of variation in mutation breeding could be very advantageous. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of microwave radiation on the in vitro regeneration and acclimatization efficiencies, as well as on the gen...

Nowadays cryopreservation is considered to be the most efficient method for the protection of plant genetic resources. The technology is attracting more and more attention among both research and commercial laboratories worldwide. However, it is a relatively new technique, which still requires a lot of exploration. The influence of cryopreservation...

Objective: The aim of this study has been to develop an encapsulation-based cryopreservation protocol of Ajania pacifica shoot tips. Materials and methods: Shoot tips of ajania 'Bengo' were precultured on media with different sucrose and ABA concentrations, encapsulated and dehydrated for various periods and stored in liquid nitrogen. After thaw...

Chryzantema wielkokwiatowa zaliczana jest do najbardziej popularnych roś-lin ozdobnych na rynku ogrodniczym. Światowa produkcja tego gatunku rośnie z każdym rokiem. Skomplikowana biologia chryzantemy (wysoki poziom ploidalności, heterozygo-tyczność, poligeniczna kontrola kwitnienia, samoniezgodność oraz ograniczona żywotność pyłku) ogranicza jednak...

The choice of explant and its preparation are most likely one of the most important biotic factors that determine the success of a tissue culture protocol when the explant is derived from ex vitro organs. This mini-review assesses the disinfection protocols available for saffron (Crocus sativus L.; Iridaceae) explants in an attempt to ascertain the...

Every year the number of the plant cultivars available is increasing. The new highly-efficient but scarce cultivars are replacing the previous, more numerous, ones. The old cultivars, however, constitute a very important source of genes for breeding. In order to prevent genetic erosion, it is essential to develop efficient long-term storage methods...

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a unique process by means of which a vegetative/somatic plant cell transforms into an embryo. This in vitro embryogeny has immense fundamental and practical applications. The SE process is complex and is controlled by a variety of external and internal triggers. This book compiles the latest advances in embryogenesis r...

With every year cryopreservation is finding wider application in the storage of plant genetic resources. The number of usable, medicinal, ornamental and threatened plant species stored in liquid nitrogen is constantly increasing. The available cryopreservation techniques are becoming more and more efficient. Despite much attention is being paid to...

Nauki Przyrodnicze (Life Sciences) 4(10): 10-25

Kaktusy są po storczykach najchętniej kolekcjonowaną grupą roślin. Ich znaczenie na rynku roślin ozdobnych, a także w farmacji staje się coraz większe. Niestety wiele z nich zagrożonych jest wyginięciem. Z tych względów konieczne jest opracowanie wydajnych metod reprodukcji tych pięknych roślin. Obecnie za najbardziej wydajną metodę rozmnażania uwa...

Abstrakt. Współczesna hodowla i reprodukcja chryzantemy korzysta z osiągnięć biotechnologii. Embriogeneza somatyczna u chryzantemy jest cenną metodą regeneracji roślin z komórek wege-tatywnych. Może mieć zastosowanie w hodowli nowych odmian oraz do mikrorozmnażania od-mian, które nie są chimerami. Indukowane i spontaniczne mutacje to z kolei najczę...

Chrysanthemum is among the most popular species on the ornamental plant market. The number of available cultivars is constantly growing and they constitute a valuable breeding material source. However, traditional storage (cultivation in the ground or in the glasshouse) is expensive, work-intensive and threatened with loss due to pests and diseases...

Kalanchoe tubiflora (Harvey) Hamet is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. Due to its unique morphology, it is a popular ornamental species. However, owing to some valuable metabolites it can also be used in tumor suppression. The present work describes a simple propagation method of K. tubiflora. The stem fragments of K. tubiflora were disinfec...

The in vitro propagation of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitam.), one of the world’s most important ornamentals, is a very well-studied topic and shows numerous strides each year. This mini-review condenses the knowledge that has been published on chrysanthemum biotechnology, especially in vitro culture in the wider plant sc...

Agaves are a very important group of plants. They are popular ornamentals but they are also used in the production of drugs, cosmetics, drinks, food and fodder. Unfortunately, due to the growing influence of anthropopressure, some of them are threaten with extinction. Therefore, in order to always be able to meet the growing demands of the market,...

To optimize the protocol, the shoot tips of Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum /Ramat./ Kitam. radiomutants have been cryopreserved using the encapsulation-dehydration technique, following different approaches. In the experiment the influence of abscisic acid – ABA (0; 10; 20 and 30 µM), sucrose concentration (0.09; 0.25 and 0.5 M) and temperature (5oC o...

Rośliny ozdobne stanowią ważny element gospodarki narodowej. Mimo, iż powierzchnia ich uprawy wynosi jedynie 0,04% wszystkich gruntów ornych, to jednak generuje ona 20% zysku całkowitej produkcji roślinnej. Tradycyjne metody uprawy, nie spełniają jednak dłużej rosnących wymagań rynku. Od 40 lat (a w Polsce od 30) reprodukcja roślin ozdobnych system...

Plants for commercial purposes, are reproduced generatively by seeds or vegetatively. Seeds, however, do not guarantee genetic stability. It is provided by vegetative methods, but these are associated with the risk of plant infection by viruses, which are transmitted across generations. Moreover, traditional methods are often much too slow. Mass re...

Shoot tips obtained from bi-weekly in vitro cultures of four cultivars of Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitam. were encapsulated in 3% calcium alginate hydrogel, containing Murashige and Skoog medium components. Survival and possibilities of further growth were estimated after 7, 30, and 60-day storage on medium with BAP, kinetin or plant g...

In the past, members of the Cactaceae family were mostly propagated by seeds or vegetatively by cuttings and grafting. Seeds, however, do not guarantee genetic stability and, in the case of some cacti, seeds are difficult to obtain, their germination rates are low, or they need to be stored for a long time in specific light and temperature conditio...

The diversity of life on Earth have been developing for over three billion years. Living organisms are common good of all humanity, which imposes us with a moral obligation to preserve them for future generations. Despite this, over the past few years a disturbing phenomenon of genetic erosion (biodiversity decrease) has been observed world-wide. T...

Mikrorozmnażanie jest coraz intensywniej rozwijającą się technologią produkcji gatunków ozdobnych. W ciągu ostatnich tylko 10 lat liczba roślin pozyskiwanych na tej drodze zwiększyła się trzykrotnie. Spośród stosowanych obecnie technik mikropropagacji, embriogeneza somatyczna uważana jest za najbardziej wydajną. Technika ta pozwala na uzyskanie w k...

Chryzantemy należą do najpopularniejszych roślin ozdobnych. Rynek ogrodniczy ciągle domaga się nowych, atrakcyjnych odmian. Jednak złożona biologia chryzantem (samoniezgodność, wysoki poziom ploidalności i heterozygotyczności) ogranicza możliwość rozmnażania generatywnego oraz klasyczną hodowlę (krzyżowanie i selekcję), które nie są w stanie zaspok...

Thanks to their great variety and aesthetic value, cultural meaning and wide practical use, chrysanthemums are one of the most popular plants, cultivated all over the world. Every year, new varieties are introduced to the market, replacing the current assortment. Nowadays it is important to elaborate a strategy for conservation of valuable genetic...

Chrysanthemums are amongst the most economically important flowers in the world. The protection and storage of these valuable genetic resources is of great importance. Today, cryopreservation, or the storage of biological material at the temperature of liquid nitrogen (-196°C), is believed to be the most promising long-term storage method. To optim...

Astrophytum asterias (Zucc.) Lem. is a cactus which is among those most desired by producers and collectors all across the world and, at the same time, a species threatened with extinction in the natural environment. Micropropagation techniques can be helpful both in terms of its ex situ protection and its popularisation on the market, thus satisfy...