In vitro culture of Pteris vittata, an arsenic hyperaccumulating fern, for screening and propagating strains useful for phytoreme-diation

Arsenic contamination of soils and groundwater is at present one of the major emergencies in the world environmental management, and phytoremediation is a promising technology to immobilize or remove contaminants from polluted areas. The first arsenic hyperaccumulating plant, the fern Pteris vittata, was discovered only recently. It is very efficient in extracting arsenic from the soil and translocating it into its large fronds, and thus has great potential in arsenic phytoremediation. In this work, by using different hormonal formulations, we developed solid and liquid in vitro culture protocols for callus induction and maintenance, as well as for sporophyte regeneration, which are the basic tools for programmes of screening and propagation of selected strains of the fern.