Ecological Characteristics and Conservation of the Protected Resurrection Species Haberlea Rhodopensis Friv. as In Vitro Plants Through a Modified Micropropagation System

ABSTRACT

Among the especially interesting and rare plants on the Balkan Peninsula are tertiary relics and endemics belonging to the tropical family Gesneriaceae: Haberlea rhodopensis Friv (Rhodope silivryak, Orpheus' flower) and representatives of the genus Ramonda. Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. is included in the European list of rare, in danger of extinction and endemic plants and in the Bulgarian list of endangered plants. In recent years, our team has extended in a new directions the traditions of many years' investigations of this interesting species at the Dept. of Plant physiology and Molecular biology. We started a thorough exploration of the various habitats and ecological characteristics of Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. Simultaneously, at the Plant Biotechnology laboratory at the University of Plovdiv we started the establishment of a live collection of in vitro Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. from various populations and habitats in Bulgaria. Such in vitro live collection with the aim of conservation and investigation of the natural population is created for a first time in Bulgaria. This is accomplished through an in vitro system for regeneration and propagation, modified by our research group. The live collection of in vitro Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. plants will be a donor for conservation and reintroduction of adapted in vitro plants in their natural endangered habitats and also for physiological studies of drough tolerance, and multidisciplinary comparative analyses.

Keywords:

• habitats
• Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. resurrection plants
• in vitro microplants
• modified in vitro system