Ex situ conservation of Dianthus giganteus subsp. banaticus was obtained by in vitro culture on different culture media supplemented with phytohormones. Assessment of somaclonal variability over a period of preservation by in vitro culture is required prior to introduction and acclimatization in natural habitats. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2014) 38: 21-30 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Ex situ conservation of Dianthus giganteus d’Urv. subsp. banaticus (Heuff.) Tutin by in vitro culture and assessment of somaclonal variability by molecular markers 1 2, 3 4 1 Liliana JARDA , Anca BUTIUC-KEUL *, Maria HÖHN , Andrzej PEDRYC , Victoria CRISTEA 1 Al. Borza Botanical Garden, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2 Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 3 Department of Botany, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Corvinus University, Budapest, Hungary 4 Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Corvinus University, Budapest, Hungary Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Ex situ conservation of Dianthus giganteus subsp. banaticus was obtained by in vitro culture on different culture media supplemented with phytohormones. Assessment of somaclonal variability over a period of preservation by in vitro culture is required prior to introduction and acclimatization in natural habitats. In this study we used 2 types of molecular markers, ISSR and multilocus SSR markers, which allow comparison of different alleles, to assess the somaclonal variability of endemic taxa Dianthus giganteus subsp. banaticus after a period of 24 months of preservation by in vitro culture. The assessment of somaclonal variability of D. giganteus subsp. banaticus shows some changes in the absence/presence of certain markers in some individuals. Key words: ISSR, SSR markers, Dianthus giganteus subsp. banaticus, ex situ conservation, in vitro culture, somaclonal variability 1. Introduction The efficient approach to plant conservation implies in situ and ex situ conservation, having as a main target the maintenance of appropriate genetic .
