INFLUENCE OF PHASE-CHANGE WITHIN A 90-YEAR-OLD SEQUOIA SEMPERVIRENS ON ITS IN-VITRO ORGANOGENIC CAPACITY AND PROTEIN-PATTERNS

Shoot-tips collected from stump shoots at the base of a 90-year-old Se quoia sempervirens and from the crown of the same donor tree were comp ared in respect of their organogenic performance in in vitro condition s. The cultures derived from stump shoots appeared to be much more res ponsive in terms of growth increment and adventitious rooting capacity - rooting rate, root length, average number of neoformed roots and ro ot score - than cultures derived from the crown, although considerable variation was observed in all the organogenic criteria examined. The persisting topophysical differences in potential for in vitro organoge nic and associated morphological traits characteristic of phase change were found to be connected with quantitative modifications of protein content. Thus, 23 membrane-associated proteins with molecular weights ranging from 22 to 58 kDa appeared to be synthesized in greater abund ance in the culture originating from the stump shoots.