An In Vitro–Ex Vitro Micropropagation System for Hemp

Abstract

Hyperhydricity of shoots initiated in vitro, poor shoot extension, inability of shoot cultures to maintain good growth over an extended time, and unsuccessful ex vitro rooting have limited the development of a commercial scale micropropagation system for hemp (Cannabis sativa). We present a culture initiation method that prevents shoot hyperhydricity using vented-lid vessels with 0.2-µm pores and medium containing agar at 1% (w/v). To optimize shoot multiplication in vitro, a control medium (medium A) and four treatment media (medium B, C, D, and E), with varying inorganic nutrients and vitamins were tested. Control medium A consisted of 1× Murashige and Skoog (MS) with vitamins plus 3% (w/v) sucrose, 0.5 mg·L−1 metatopolin, 0.1 mg·L−1 gibberellic acid, and 0.8% agar (w/v) at pH 5.7. The four treatment media differed from the control medium as follows: medium B, 2.5× MS with vitamins; medium C, 1× MS with vitamins plus added mesos [calcium chloride (anhydrous), magnesium sulfate (anhydrous), and potassium phosphate (monobasic) nutrients]; medium D, 1× MS with vitamins plus added vitamins; and medium E, 1× MS with vitamins plus added mesos and vitamins. Medium C and medium E produced more microcuttings than the control at 6 weeks after the initial subculture with shoot multiplication media and all other treatments at 9 and 12 weeks. Shoots grown on these two media displayed optimal extension and leaf lamina development; however, they exhibited slight chlorosis by 12 weeks after subculture with shoot multiplication media. In a separate experiment, medium E was supplemented with ammonium nitrate at 0, 500, 1000, or 1500 mg·L−1, and cultures grown with 500 mg·L−1 produced the most microcuttings and exhibited the best combination of shoot extension and leaf lamina development. We provide a method of prerooting microshoots in vitro that has resulted in 75% to 100% rooting ex vitro in rockwool. Using 10 recently micropropagated plants, ≈300 retip cuttings (cuttings taken from new shoots from recently micropropagated plants) were harvested over 10 weeks. The average weekly rooting was more than 90%. Retipping can produce nine-times as many plants in a similar amount of floor space as stem cuttings derived from traditional stock mother plants. The micropropagation/retipping method proposed can be a more efficient way to generate clonal liner plants for commercial-scale production.