Abstract We report the in vitro induction of polyploids from two cassava cultivars by colchicine treatment. Shoot nodal segments, collected from in vitro cultivated plants of Porquinho and Vassourinha cultivars, were used as explants. Explants were treated in liquid media without and with colchicine (0.05, 0.10 or 0.15%), at 90 rpm, in the dark, for 48 or 96 h. Normal-like and putative-polyploid phenotypes were recovered from in vitro culture, for both cultivars. All plants from the putative-polyploid group were confirmed as tetraploids by flow cytometry and root tip chromosome counting, whereas no association was found between ploidy level and phenotype in normal-like plants. Mixoploids were also recovered from both cultivars. Vassourinha was more responsive to colchicine treatment than Porquinho. Tetraploid plants have fewer, but bigger, stomata guard cells than those in diploids. Colchicine at 0.10% for 96 hours induced a high number of tetraploids in both cultivars.

No presente trabalho, foi estudado o efeito da colchicina em corpos semelhantes a protocormos de Cattleya intermedia L. (Orchidaceae). Diferentes concentrações da droga (0,00; 0,05; 0,10 e 0,20%), bem como diferentes tempos de cultura (4 ou 8 dias) foram testados para determinar o melhor tratamento para a indução de plantas tetraplóides. Dos três níveis de colchicina aplicados, os tratamentos com 0,05 e 0,10% da droga parecem ser mais efetivos na produção de mixoplóides e tetraplóides, sendo que tais tratamentos podem ser utilizados em programas de melhoramento. Como critério para distinção entre diplóides e tetraplóides, foram realizadas medidas de área de estômatos e densidade de estômatos das folhas. Os resultados sugerem que as plantas tetraplóides podem ser identificadas com elevado grau de certeza quando a seleção é realizada com base na densidade de estômatos.

The effect of colchicine on the protocorm-like bodies of Cattleya intermedia L. (Orchidaceae) cultured in vitro was studied. Different concentrations of the drug (0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20%) as well as two times of culture (4 or 8 days) were tested to determine the best treatment for the induction of tetraploid plants. Of the 3 colchicine levels applied, 0.05 and 0.10% of drug treatments appeared to be effective on the production of mixoploids and tetraploids and could be further used in breeding programs. The suitability of stomatal area and stomata density as criteria for the distinction between diploids and tetraploids was also tested. The results suggested that tetraploid plants could be identified with a fair amount of certainty when the screening was based on the density of stomata.