Plant tissue culture can induce a variety of genetic and epigenetic changes in regenerated plantlets, a phenomenon known as somaclonal variation. Such variation has been widely used in the ornamental foliage plant industry as a source for selection of new cultivars. In ornamental aroids alone, at least 63 somaclonal-derived cultivars have been released. In addition to morphological differences, many somaclonal aroid cultivars can be distinguished by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. However, a few cultivars have no detectable polymorphisms with their parents or close relatives by AFLP fingerprints. It is postulated that DNA methylation may be involved in the morphological changes of these cultivars. In this study, methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique was used to study DNA methylation in selected somaclonal cultivars of Alocasia, Aglaonema, Anthurium, Dieffenbachia, Philodendron, and Syngonium. Results showed that polymorphisms were detected in the somaclonal cultivars, suggesting that DNA methylation polymorphisms may associate with tissue culture-induced mutation in ornamental aroids. This is the first study of methylation variation in somaclonal variants of ornamental foliage plants. The results clearly demonstrate that the MSAP technique is highly efficient in detecting DNA methylation events in somaclonal-derived cultivars.
Caladiums are ornamental aroids widely grown as pot plants or used in landscapes as accent or border plants. Commercial pot caladium plants are produced by forcing tubers, while dry tubers are available for garden or landscape planting ( Evans et
Caladium ( Caladium × hortulanum Birdsey) is an ornamental aroid grown as landscape and potted plants. They are valued for their colorful foliage that comes in various leaf shapes and coloration patterns containing shades of red, pink, white
Cultivated caladium is an ornamental aroid produced for container or hanging basket plants or grown in landscapes for their variably shaped, colorful foliage. The ornamental value of caladium plants, to a great extent, depends on their leaf
for other ornamental aroids ( Chen et al., 2004a , 2004b , 2004c ; Henny, 1977 ). Reduced genetic diversity could result in increased vulnerability to new diseases and pests and in reduced genetic variation for cultivar development. Some genetic
-like chromosome. Genome size estimates have become essential for genome sequencing projects ( Doležel et al., 2007 ). Up until 2014, little had been published on nuclear DNA content in caladiums or other aroids ( Leitch et al., 2019 ). Cao et al. (2014
Abstract
The Araceae is a diverse family consisting of more than 100 genera and 1500 species of plants including several genera of growing significance as foliage ornamentals, such as Aglaonema, Caladium, Dieffenbachia, and Syngonium. Other aroids, such as Anthurium and Zantedeschia are commercially propagated for their attractive flowers; Pistia stratioites is considered a pestiferous aquatic weed, and jack-in-thepulpit (Arisaema spp.) is a well known woodland wildflower of temperate climates.
Poster Session 7—Ornamental Plant Breeding 18 July 2005, 1:15–2:00 p.m. Poster Hall–Ballroom E/F
resulted in diverse and intriguing foliar coloration patterns in these plants ( Henny, 1988 ). These coloration patterns have been a major contributing component to the ornamental and/or economic value of a number of important ornamental aroids ( Henny and
cultivars 466 472 Janick J. Whipkey A. Trends in new crops and new uses ASHS Press Alexandria, VA Henny, R.J. Norman, D.J. Chen, J. 2004 Progress in ornamental aroid breeding Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 91 465 473 Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural