Field performance evaluation and genetic integrity assessment in Argyranthemum 'Yellow Empire' plants recovered from cryopreserved shoot tips

Field performance evaluation and genetic integrity assessment were conducted in Argyranthemum plants derived from cryopreserved shoot tips. Some variations in root formation and vegetative growth were found in the plants following cryopreservation, but morphologies of the leaves and flowers, and color, number and size of the flowers remained unchanged in the plants recovered from cryopreservation, compared with the control. Assessments of genetic integrity by the two molecular markers: inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) did not detect any polymorphic bands across the plants tested following cryopreservation. These data indicate that cryopreservation reduces, to a certain degree, root formation and vegetative growth, but it does not alter morphologies of leaves and flowers, may not cause any genetic alternations, and has no adverse effects on quantity and quality of the flowers. Therefore, the droplet vitrification cryopreservation can be considered promising for long-term preservation of Argyranthemum germplasm.