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DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATED SYSTEMS FOR LARGE SCALE PROPAGATION OF ELITE PLANTS USING IN VITRO TECHNIQUES

Obiettivo

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION

INTRODUCTION

Plant in vitro culture is increasingly important for the propagation of plants in modern Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry. This has been borne out by the successive COST 87 Directories of European Plant Tissue Culture Laboratories, which have shown a continuous increase in number of both commercial and official (institute and university) laboratories involved in plant tissue culture.

The application of the biotechnology to plant breeding and propagation is encountering many difficulties, particularly in the field of whole plant regeneration from cells. It will not be possible to benefit from, and fully exploit, the new techniques and opportunities without a fuller understanding of the processes involved.

The primary aim of this proposed Action is to co-ordinate research and development in Europe aimed at overcoming the various bottlenecks which restrict the full application of plant tissue culture to crop breeding and propagation. The application of genetic engineering for crop improvement cannot be successful without the routine, rapid and large scale regeneration of "new" plants. Moreover without these methods, for rapid multiplication of vegetatively propagated crops (e.g. most fruit and ornamentals) and slow growing plants (e.g. forest trees), breeding including genetic engineering will have an impact only after 20 to 30 years. The new low-input agriculture - necessary for both environmental and economic reasons - requires the application of these biotechnological techniques in order to reduce fertilizer and pesticide usage and replace them by inbuilt pest resistance mechanisms and better nutrient utilization characteristics. Cost reduction is also essential to maintain the plant propagation industry in Europe.

This proposed COST Action will build on and capitalize the achievements of COST 87. It will focus especially on the application of molecular biology and bioreactor culture to study the new techniques and opportunities for mass propagation thus leading to improved efficiency and cost reduction in the plant propagation industry.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF COST 87

COST 87 was established in response to the large number of problems that were encountered in the application of tissue culture to the plant propagation industry in Europe. Since 1989 this Action has been associated with the BRIDGE Programme. A number of Working Groups was set up to undertake research on specific problems. Although it was found that while some initial practical problems were solved by co-operative research, the Working Groups showed that a more fundamental approach was required. New Working Groups were set up to co-ordinate this basic research, but this was recognised as a longer term task. Annual reports detailed the activities and specialist reports with commercial recommendations were published by Working Group.

Three surveys of the European plant tissue culture industry were produced by COST 87, the most recent was in 1990 and another is in progress for publication in 1993 (Fig. 1).

Address, telephone and fax numbers, main interests and a contact person for each laboratory, both commercial and official (mainly university and research institutes) are given in the first section of the Directory. The main section has an alphabetical list of plants showing what laboratories are working on it and details of their particular interest.
The third section consisted of the location of personnel in the industry.

These Directories have been a valuable source of information on tissue culture and have been widely circulated both within Europe and elsewhere. They are considered to be of great value in helping to avoid duplication of research effort.

Fifteen countries and up to 100 laboratories are co-operating in COST 87. Additionally, in 1993 a number of Eastern European laboratories were involved for the first time: two of these laboratories were funded by the PECO programme. Thus, with this wide representation research results have been well distributed both through reports and by personal contacts. COST workers have strong connections with commercial laboratories in their own countries and form a cohesive large-scale network in plant tissue culture across Europe. There have been many examples of the practical benefits that this has brought to different national plant production industries, particularly in the production of disease free planting material.

INTER-COST CO-OPERATION

A Joint-Working Group between COST 87 and COST 810 was established in 1992 and has already made important contributions to both COST programmes. In 1993 co-operation between COST 87 and COST 88 (Early Detection of Plant Diseases) was initiated.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED ACTION

* To promote and co-ordinate precompetitive research on in vitro plant culture in Europe in order to achieve a better understanding of the processes involved in plant regeneration.

- To remove the bottlenecks to the application of biotechnology and molecular biology to European agriculture and forestry so as to achieve a sustainable low-input system with reduced use of pesticides and fertilisers.

- To strengthen the competitive basis of the European Plant Tissue Culture industry by renewing and enhancing the substantial network of research workers across Europe.

- To help the development of economic commercial production systems to aid SMEs to maintain a vigorous and competitive plant propagation industry in Europe.

WHY THE CO-OPERATION SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF COST

COST is the only framework available that can encompass all the multidisciplinary basic studies required for tissue culture involving all the European countries and laboratories interested in co-operating. The COST 87 Action, on which this new Action is modelled, has worked extremely well.

HOW THE PROPOSED ACTION RELATES TO OTHER INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMES

In view of the desired changes in European agriculture and the number of SMEs involved in plant tissue culture it is essential to co-ordinate and focus research in this area and to enhance the links between other related COST Actions such as

(a) that concerned with the study of VA mycorrhizae

(b) that working on the early detection of plant diseases.

In addition, links have been established with the International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and the International Society for Horticultural Science.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME

1. Physiology and Control of Plant Regeneration

Plants can be produced from shoots or from somatic embryos (SEs). Shoots can be regenerated either from pre-existing shoots or from cells, cell clusters or callus. Shoots so produced need to be rooted to form entire plants capable of transfer to the field. Plants produced via SEs are capable of full development given the correct environmental conditions. Currently, relatively few commercially important crop plants are capable of predictable regeneration through plant tissue culture: this unpredictability reflects a lack of knowledge of the underlying physiological control mechanisms directing phase changes in plant development.

The proposed Action will co-ordinate research aimed at elucidating these mechanisms. The research will investigate the interaction of inputs (e.g. nutrients, plant hormones) with environmental factors (e.g. light, temperature) through the analysis of developmental anatomy, light and electron microscopy together with image analysis. For example interesting results on regeneration have been recently obtained by COST 87 from the study of monochromatic light. These new effects will be studied in connection with other inputs. Protein and enzyme chemistry will be used especially as markers for changes in physiological phases.

2. Molecular Biology of Plant Regeneration

The basic understanding of the molecular changes involved in regeneration need elucidation in order to achieve the necessary control of the processes. This will be done by searching for DNA markers for the initiation of these changes and the identification of the genes involved. An ultimate aim will be to allow their isolation and transfer to recalcitrant tissues: this transfer should enable recalcitrant species to respond to molecular signals in an analogous way to non-recalcitrant species thereby enhancing control of the processes in a wider range of plant species and bypassing developmental bottlenecks.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Management Committee

A Management Committee will be set up and meet as soon as possible to initiate the Action and establish Working Groups. At the initial meeting it will agree the Rules of the Action in accordance with the COST Regulations. The Management Committee will meet at least once each year.

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Each Working Group will be organized with two Joint-Co-ordinators who will be responsible for co-ordinating the research programme and organizing meetings of their Working Group. It is expected that each Working Group will meet annually. The Group Co-ordinators, in conjunction with the Management Committee will be responsible for the Annual Report for submission to the COST Senior Officials.

Proposed Working Groups

1) Physiology of Plant Regeneration

2) Control of Plant Regeneration

3) Application of Bioreactors for Large Scale Propagation

4) Molecular Aspects of Differentiation

5) Identification and Control of Phase Change in Rejuvenation

6) Application of Genetic Transformation.

TIMETABLE

The Action is scheduled for five years. It is anticipated that the research programmes described above will run in parallel, building on the achievements of COST 87.

The Management Committee will be responsible for initiating the inter-Action co-operation with appropriate Working Groups. An annual planning and evaluation session will be organized for each Working Group, and the Management Committee will oversee the general direction and progress of the interaction between Working Groups and their relationships with other COST Actions.

Surveys of European Plant Tissue Culture Laboratories will be carried out at suitable intervals and the results published as a Directory.

ECONOMIC DIMENSION OF THE ACTION

The level of activity in plant tissue culture in Europe can be gauged from the "COST 87 - Directory of Plant Tissue Culture Laboratories - 1990". A total of 427 laboratories were found in 17 countries. Over 3 000 people were employed in these laboratories and the estimated total production was 181,2 million plants from the commercial laboratories.

From the experience of COST 87 it is expected that there will be widespread interest in this new Action. It is estimated that the total personnel costs will be ECU 10 million with ECU 1,5 million for overhead costs. These costs will be covered from national resources.

Current status
COST Action 822 has been organised into six Working Groups:

WG1"Physiology and Control of Plant Propagation In Vitro"
(Co-ordinators: P. Boxus & G. Reuther)
SubGroups:
1. Pathogen Elimination;
2. Cell Competence for Root, Shoot and Embryo Initiation;
3. Scale-up via Organogenesis and Embryogenesis;
4. Weaning.

WG 2 "Plant Regeneration via Suspension Culture Systems"
(Co-ordinators: C.S. Hunter & W. Preil)
SubGroups:
1: Cyclamen
2: Maize
3: Spruce
4: Begonia

WG 3 Identification and Control of Phases Changes in Rejuvenation"
(Co-ordinator: M. Welander & S. Mac an tSaoir)
Areas of research are:
Multiplication of Quercus and other spp.
Markers for Phase Change
Somatic Embryogenesis and Grafting
Field Trials and Growth Analysis.

WG 4 "Molecular Aspects of Differentiation and Transformation"
(Co-ordinators: N. Hammatt & M. Laimer)
Research involves the Transformation and Regeneration of Prunus and Malus. The improvement of Transformation schedules. Research to improve the understanding of cell competence for Transformation.

WG 5 "Mechanisms and Markers of Regeneration and Genetic Stability"
(Co-ordinators: G.-J. De Klerk & M. Paques)

The Group has organised the following SubGroups:
1: Variation
2: Somatic organogenesis
3: Adventitious Shoot Formation
4: Adventitious Root Formation

Joint WG 821-822 (Mycorrhizae and In Vitro Culture)
(Co-ordinator: M. Rancillac)
The aim of this Group is to obtain a better understanding of mycorrhizae on plants grown in vitro and to develop techniques to utilise mycorrhizae in plant production.
Work planned
Publication of "Directory of European Plant Tissue Culture Laboratories - 1996"

Invito a presentare proposte

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Meccanismo di finanziamento

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Coordinatore

CEC
Contributo UE
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Indirizzo
Rue de La Loi, 200
1049 Brussels
Belgio

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