Morphology of the shoot apical meristem and its effects on the explants viability in grapevine

Shoot apical meristem (SAM) culture is known as an effective method for the production of virus free plants. Detection and then dissection of SAM are the first two steps in establishment of successful culture. Providing of leaf primordium-free meristem is a very difficult operation due to the small size and colorless appearance of the SAM. Amongst the commercial plants, grapevine demonstrates specific and complex developmental pattern at which the SAM plays a crucial role. In this research, the live meristems were stained using novel procedure and then they were stained by water solution of FDA (0.1%) and fuchsine acid (0.05%), simultaneously. The prepared meristems were then detected and excised under a fluorescence stereomicroscope (510 nm) and afterwards they were immediately cultured on the half strength MS medium. Microscopic studies were shown that the size of SAM in the grapevine was fluctuated in terms of its developmental course. The higher organogenesis ability of SAM, the more viability of the explants that were achieved during the meristem culture. On the other hand, viability of meristem containing leaf and uncommitted primordium was higher than that of organ-free meristem.