Factors influencing long-term storage of strawberry shoots in vitro

The experiments were conducted on two strawberry cultivars - Senga Sengana and Kama to determine conditions for long-term in vitro storage of shoots. The shoots with three well developed leaves were stored on medium without growth regulators in the dark at 4degreesC or at 23degreesC in the light. From some shoots the leaves were removed. The shoots were placed either in the polyethylene bags or in glass jars (200 ml vs. 350 ml). Shoot survival, quality, micropropagation in the two subsequent subcultures, and rooting capability after second subculture were checked after 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month of storage. The length of the storage period influenced significantly most of the characters studied. The type of the container did not influence the survival of shoots stored at 4degreesC, however more shoots survived the storage at 23degreesC in the jars than in the bags. The shoots stored in the bags at 23degreesC proliferated better in the first subculture than those stored in the jars. Shoot proliferation was lower in the first subculture after the storage and in the group of the shoots stored for 24 months. The leaf removal reduced the shoot quality and the number of viable shoots. The size of container did not influence storage of the shoots.