The Laboratory was established in 1991 and is headed by Dr. Stasė Dapkūnienė. Here plants are propagated in test tubes (in vitro) under controlled and sterile conditions. Biotechnologies of woody and herbaceous plants are prepared, adjusted and corrected. Here housed are 111 clones and cultivars of herbaceous, semi-woody and woody plants, belonging to 16 genera in the in vitro collection. Habil. Dr. Izolda Pašakinskienė, dr. Stase Dapkuniene, Rasa Ryliskiene , Irena Ziemyte. are researchers working in the Department.
Research projects:
1. The uptake of microcloning for propagation of cultured and woody plants: investigation of somatic morphogenesis in lilies.
Different explants of lilies may be used to initiate cultivation in vitro. In our lab pieces of lily buds are being used. Best regeneration in vitro is achieved from basal parts of lily buds.
2. Stabilisation in vitro culture and micropropagation of Fragaria L., Rubus L., and Vaccinium L.
We tested the optimal raspberry sterilization technique: plant material is kept in soap solution for 1.5 – 2 hours, than sterilized with 70% ethanol (1 - 2 min) and later with 0.05% sublimate solution adding several drops of the TWIN 80 type (exposition time 3 min). Later the shoots are washed three times with sterile water.
Optimal sterilization technique for heath berries: wash under running water for one hour; sterilize with fungicide solution of 0.1 % topsine and 0.5% TMTD; wash with sterile water for 5 minutes; sterilize with 0.2% sublimate (10 minutes); wash (3 times in 5 minutes) with sterile water; keep in mix solution of citric (75 mg/L) and ascorbic (50 mg/L) acids and later wash again with sterile water.
To cultivate raspberry explants modified MS, 1962 nutrient medium with 1 mg/L IBA were used, and for heath berry modified WPM nutrient medium with different mineral and organic additives were used.
3. Solid-state lighting technology for control of photophysiological processes in plants.
At the first stage of the study, plant photophysiology, criteria and methods for characterisation of plant function and morphogenesis were developed and tested, and plant species for comparative investigation in vitro under LED illumination were selected.
