Low-temperature preincubation enhances survival and regeneration of cryopreserved Saussurea involucrata callus

Saussurea involucrata Kar. et Kir. is one of the most well-known Chinese medicinal plants, and it is utilized for a variety of medical conditions. Due to the overexploitation of this endangered species, it is crucial to develop methods for both conservation and propagation. To address this issue, we have developed and optimized a simple and effective vitrification process for the cryopreservation of S. involucrata callus tissue. The optimized method consisted of a 3-d incubation period on medium containing 0.3 M sucrose, transfer to a plant vitrification solution (PVS2) containing 30% (v/v) glycerol, 15% (v/v) ethylene glycol, 15% (v/v) dimethylsulfoxide, and 0.4 M sucrose first at 60% PVS2 for 40 min, then at 100% PVS2 for 60 min, followed by immediate immersion and storage in liquid nitrogen. To thaw the tissue, tissues were rewarmed at 40°C for 2 min. This method resulted in a survival rate of approximately 56% and a regrowth rate of approximately 40%. Survival and regrowth were significantly improved by the addition of a low-temperature preincubation step. Incubating the calli at 4°C for 12 d prior to initiating the optimized cryopreservation protocol increased the survival rate of the tissue to 75%, increased the regrowth rate to 60%, and more than doubled the number of regenerated shoots per explant. Following cryopreservation, greater than 90% of the regenerated shoots formed complete plantlets, and 81% of the regenerated plantlets survived and grew vigorously under greenhouse conditions.