Comparative Analysis of In Vitro Micropropagation Technologies for Lycium barbarum, Lycium chinense and Lycium ruthenicum under the Conditions of the Republic of Karakalpakstan

Abstract

Representatives of the genus Lycium, in particular L. barbarum, L. chinense and L. ruthenicum, are medicinal, edible and ecologically promising plants. Their fruits are rich in polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, vitamins, amino acids, carotenoids and other biologically active substances, and some species are distinguished by high resistance to drought and salinity. Because of uneven germination, slow root formation and differences between genotypes in traditional propagation by seeds and cuttings, in vitro micropropagation methods are of great practical importance. In this article, the stages of explant selection, sterilisation, nutrient medium, the effect of cytokinins and auxins, callus and organogenesis, rooting and acclimatisation for the three species are combined and comparatively analysed on the basis of the scientific literature. According to the results of the analysis, MS medium is effective as the main basal medium in all three species; however, the optimal growth regulators and their concentrations depend sharply on species and genotype. For L. chinense, 0.5 mg/L TDZ or BAP at low concentrations gave high organogenesis rates, while for L. ruthenicum several effective regeneration schemes based on leaf and stem explants have been developed. For L. barbarum, very high micromolar PGR concentrations are reported in some sources, and they must be re-tested before being transferred to local genotypes. The comparative approach can serve as a methodological basis for further experiments on the rapid propagation of healthy planting material, introduction and gene pool conservation in arid and salinity-prone regions such as Karakalpakstan.