NCGRP Plant Research Unit Laboratories

Cryobiology of Vegetative Tissues | Cryobiology of Cells
Seed Quality and Biophysics | Population Genetics

Cryobiology of Vegetatively Propagated Germplasm

Lab Mission

Develop procedures to cryopreserve plant tissues and promote recovery after cryogenic storage through better understanding of mechanisms of tolerance to and damage from low temperature and desiccation stresses.

Staff

Leigh Towill	Principal Investigator
Remi Bonnart	Plant tissue culture and cryopreservation
John Waddell	Plant Physiologist, metabolite analyses, woody plant cryobiology

Selected Research Projects

Desiccation and low temperature tolerance of winter-collected fruit species.
Effects of cooling and warming rates on survival of propagules from fruit species.
Role of reactive oxygen species in desiccation and low temperature injury.
Cryopreservation of grape using encapsulation-dehydration and vitrification.
Cryopreservation of sweet potato.

Publication Highlights

Pennycooke, J.P. and L.E. Towill, 2001. Medium alterations improve regrowth of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas {L.} Lam.) shoot tips cryopreserved by vitrification and encapsulation-dehydration. CryoLetters 22:381-389.

Towill, L.E.and R. Bonnart 2003. Cracking in a vitrification solution during cooling or warming does not affect growth of cryopreserved mint shoot tips. CryoLetters 24:341-346.

Towill, L.E. and M. Widrlechner. 2004. Cryopreservation of Salix species using sections from winter vegetative scions. CryoLetters 25:71-80.

Towill, L.E., P.L. Forsline, C. Walters, J. Waddell, and J. Laufmann. 2004. Cryopreservation of Malus germplasm using a winter vegetative bud method: results from 1915 accessions. CryoLetters 25:323-334.

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