Rhodiola rosea L. is a valuable medicinal plant with adaptogenic, neuroprotective, antitumor, cardioprotective, and antidepressant effects. In this study, design of experiments methodology was employed to analyze and optimize the interacting effects of mineral compounds (concentration of NO₃⁻ and the ratio of NH₄⁺ to K⁺) and two plant growth regulators [total 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and α-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) concentration and the ratio of BAP to NAA] on the growth and the production of total phenolic compounds (TPCs) in R. rosea calluses. The overall effect of the model was highly significant (p < 0.0001), indicating that NH₄⁺, K⁺, NO₃⁻, BAP, and NAA significantly affected growth. The best callus growth (703%) and the highest production of TPCs (75.17 mg/g) were achieved at an NH₄⁺/K⁺ ratio of 0.33 and BAP/NAA of 0.33, provided that the concentration of plant growth regulators was 30 μM and that of NO₃⁻ was ≤40 mM. According to high-performance liquid chromatography analyses of aerial parts (leaves and stems), in vitro seedlings and callus cultures of R. rosea contain no detectable rosarin, rosavin, rosin, and cinnamyl alcohol. This is the first report on the creation of an experiment for the significant improvement of biomass accumulation and TPC production in callus cultures of R. rosea.

The peculiarities of the in vitro regeneration of the rare species L. from floral explants have been studied for the first time. Upon the establishment of in vitro culture and during the multiplication stage, the most effective is the B5 nutrient medium supplemented with 0.44 µM BAP, 3.22 µM NAA, and 2.28 µM IAA. During the multiplication stage, the regeneration rate reaches 80% and the number of bulblets per explant is 3.9 ± 0.3. It is established that the morphogenesis of de novo formed structures depends on the mineral composition of the medium: the use of mineral-based B leads to adventitious shoot formation (gemmogenesis), while the use of BDS causes morphogenic callus formation and the gemmorhizogenesis on its surface. The stimulating effect of low temperatures (+7°C) on bulblet development and adaptation to ex vitro conditions is noted.

A new species, Nitraria iliensis sp. nov., is described from the Ili basin, Almaty region, Kazakhstan. It belongs to section Nitraria ser. Sibiricae and is morphologically similar to N. sibirica Pall. An integrative taxonomic approach based on molecular, biochemical and morphological analyses, along with palynological data, was used to delimit this new species. The studied species of the genus are illustrated, and photographs of authentic specimens of the new species, as well as a distribution map of the new species and segregate taxa, are provided. Morphological characters were investigated, more important traits for identification were found, and a new key to distinguish between all species of the genus was prepared.

BACKGROUND: Bog blueberry, Vaccinium uliginosum is one of the newer fruit crops. Choosing the most appropriate methods for mass vegetative propagation of V. uliginosum cultivars, including in vitro propagation, is crucial. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of growth regulators and light on in vitro rhizogenesis of V. uliginosum to determine the optimal method of propagation. METHODS: The following cultivation techniques were tested on microshoots of bog blueberry varieties ‘Golubaya rossyp’, ‘Nektarnaya’, ‘Shegarskaya’ and ‘Iksinskaya’: 1) ½ Anderson (A) medium supplemented with 3 and 10 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 2) 24-h aqueous treatments of microshoots with 148 μM IBA or 171 μM IAA and further cultivation in ½ A medium. In addition, we tested precultivation in darkness for 3 d versus a 16/8-h photoperiod. RESULTS: 100% rooting was observed in ‘Golubaya rossyp’ in all treatments of the experiments and with ‘Nektarnaya’ on the growth-regulator-free ½ A medium and after treating the microshoots with 171 μM IAA solution. Precultivation in darkness produced a positive effect on rooting in ‘Shegarskaya’ and ‘Iksinskaya.’ CONCLUSIONS: Response to in vitro rooting techniques varied between cultivars of V. uliginosum. Treatment of microshoots with auxin solutions improved in vitro rooting.

In the present study, a protocol was developed for the in vitro propagation of a rare medicinal plant, Hedysarum theinum (tea sweetvetch), from axillary buds, and identification of the regenerants was performed with the use of ISSR markers. It was demonstrated that Gamborg and Eveleigh medium supplemented with 5 μM 6-benzylaminopurine was the best for H. theinum for initial multiplication. On the other hand, half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 7 μM α-naphthaleneacetic acid proved to be the best for explant rooting. Molecular genetic analysis of the H. theinum mother plants and the obtained regenerants was performed with six ISSR markers. Depending on the primer, four to ten amplified fragments with sizes ranging from 250 to 3000 bp were identified. Our results confirmed the genetic stability of regenerants obtained in five passages and their identity to the mother plant.

— The morphogenetic potential of in vitro culture of the valuable medicinal plant Rhodiola roseafrom six natural habitats was evaluated as a basis for developing effective methods for the...