When we added to the culture medium in vitro large amounts of NaCl (over 4g / l), the vast majority perished, but there were one or two individuals that were tolerant to this concentration. In this case, is this an adaptation or genetic modification?
Its depend on your variety used. Some of the plant can withdraw the salt stress if they are tolerance variety.
If you ask me if it is an adaptation or genetic modification, I think adaptation is the reason.
Soma Chromosomal variation (mutation) may occurs in in vitro cultivation but its depend on how many times of subculture. Its depend on sp. of plant used, usually it happen after more that 5 times subculture.
Dear Samia,
The question is, if the plant material was genetically identical or established from seeds? If not, this is a manifestation of biological variabilty of NaCl tolerance through physiological adaptations. To my opinion, NaCl is not known to induce "classical" somaclonal variation, this can be due to high concentration of growth substances during subcultivation.
We did some studies in tissue culture with coastal plants some of them appeared to be at least in part halophytic.
If the individuals in plant population you exposed to salt stress are segregated population (genetically heterogeneous), it is possible that ones surviving under salt stress may have been segregants or recombinants genetically acquiring the more salt tolerant characters. These are especially more probable if the parental line have exhibited a slight tolerance to the stress. In my opinion, such tolerance individuals are probably due to genetic modification than to adaptation. You may also want to check whether the tolerance in those particular plants are passed into the next generation or not. (1) Grow the surviving plants into maturity, (2) Harvest the seeds and keep them separate (i.e. progenies from different parents are kept in different bags) (3) Test the progenies against salt stress (4) Evaluate the progenies phenotype If the tested progenies exhibit the same tolerance characters (it will not be 100% tolerance, since they will segregate) then you can be more sure that it is due genetic modification. However, if all progenies revert back to sensitive against salt stress, then it may have been a temporary changes (i.e. may be adaptation or epigenetic phenomenon). Good luck in your research activities...
I just would like to say that it is reported that some retroelements are activated by salt stress (and by environmental stress in general). Thus it is possible, at least in theory, that clonally micropropagated explants could acquire genetic differences in some cells (the explants would be genetically chimeras).
thank you all
thank you Sudarsono is more clearly
my search is done on the potato, Solanum tuberosum L. in vitro
For what I know if you have obtained the plants from rigeneration process by cell culture you could have induiced a somaclonal selection, otherwise if your plants are vegetatively propagated you probably culkd be an adaptation process, unless in your propagation medium you have utilized high level of citokinin, in this case you could have induced mutaion of cell inductiun a genetica modification
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