Tissue culture for the conservation and mass propagation of Vriesea reitzii Leme and Costa, a bromeliad threatened of extinction from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome is considered a hotspot of biodiversity. It is estimated that today the remaining primary vegetation covers only 7.5% of its original area. Bromeliad species are important components of this biome. Some of these species are endemic, like the highly endangered Vriesea reitzii. Tissue culture techniques have been often employed for the mass propagation and conservation of threatened bromeliad species. In the present work we describe a procedure for the micropropagation and in vitro conservation of V. reitzii. Seedling explants were cultured on MS and LPm liquid media supplemented with BA, NAA and GA(3). The induction and multiplication of shoots were observed in the MS medium supplemented with NAA (2 mu M) and BA (4 mu M). The best conditions for maintenance and conservation of shoots were half-strength or MS medium. Shoot elongation was observed in MS medium supplemented with GA(3) (10 mu M). MS medium supplemented with NAA (1 mu M) and BA (2 mu M) enabled an efficient proliferation system. The acclimatization of shoots longer than 2 cm resulted in 100% survival rate.