Comparative leaf and root anatomy of ex vitro and in vitro cultured Cymbidium Hort. plants

(Comparative leaf and root anatomy of ex vitro and in vitro cultured Cymbidium Hort. plants). During in vitro culture plants are kept in an atmosphere with high relative humidity, low light intensity and reduced gas exchange, resulting in low transpiration rates. Therefore, when these plants are exposed to ex vitro conditions, they suffer stress, which can induce mortality. The purpose of this study was to compare the anatomical structure of Cymbidium 'Joy Polis' plants from ex vitro (mother plant and acclimatized plants) and in vitro cultures and to verify if the anatomical structure of in vitro cultured plants affects acclimatization. The ex vitro plants were kept in a greenhouse in pots containing a mixture of coconut-fiber powder and coconut fiber. The in vitro plants were kept in MS culture medium. For the qualitative anatomical analysis, samples of leaves and roots were collected from ex vitro and in vitro plants. The acclimatized plants presented morphological and anatomical structure similar to the mother plant. The anatomical structure of in vitro plants did not affect plant survival during the acclimatization process, as this cultivar has great phenotypic plasticity. Cymbidium 'Joy Polis' plants have high capacity of adaptation to the environment and this characteristic is likely to be responsible for their survival rate of 100% during acclimatization.