Comparison of two different micropropagation systems of Saccharum officinarum L. and expression analysis of PIP2;1 and EIN3 genes as efficiency system indicators

In sugarcane commercial plantations, seedlings are obtained by vegetative propagation from stem segments. However, this form of seedling production has a downside as it is responsible for spreading various pathogens that accumulate in plants during the cultivation cycle. The development of a disease-free and pathogen-free large-scale production protocol is useful to help minimize the spread of such diseases in commercial plantations. For this reason, a plant tissue culture methodology such as in vitro micropropagation offers the best alternative. In vitro micropropagation protocols using bioreactors based on the temporary immersion system such as BioMINT II™ is a cost-effective design. Our aim was to evaluate the efficiency of two different systems of in vitro micropropagation for sugarcane seedlings; semi-solid and BioMINT II™ in terms of biomass production, morphological and physiological parameters. Beside this, we tested by RT-qPCR two genes (PIP2;1 and EIN3) involved in plant development, as possible molecular markers for quality analysis of development during the tested in vitro micropropagation conditions. At 28 days we obtained more shoots and better quality physiological parameters in the BioMINT II than in the semi-solid system. On the other hand, we characterized and correlated the expression of PIP2;1 and EIN3 with the morphological parameters of the two systems. Our results give a better option for biomass production with the BioMINT II™ and suggest additional experiments of the PIP2;1 and EIN3 genes to be considered as molecular markers for quality analysis of physiological parameters during in vitro micropropagation.