en: Beech trees for in vitro culture

Institute of

FG Forest Genetics

The European beech is the most significant deciduous tree species in Germany. With new protocols, beech trees can be established in in vitro culture and used for vegetative propagation or biotechnological research.

In vitro culture with beech explants

Background

The European beech has great ecological and economic importance in the forests of Central Europe. However, according to current data from the German forest condition survey ("Waldzustandserhebung"), 85% of the trees are affected by crown defoliation, a typical stress symptom for trees. In the context of climate change, the tree species is increasingly under pressure, particularly due to longer periods of drought. The adaptation of the tree species to climate change is hindered by its long generation time. In vitro culture not only allows for the preservation or vegetative propagation of valuable genotypes but also enables the exploration of biotechnological tools.

Publication

Researchers from the Thünen Institute of Forest Genetics have published their results on the establishment of in vitro cultures of the European beech in the renowned journal "Plant Methods." In the article "Benefiting from the past – establishing in vitro culture of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) from provenance trial trees and seedlings," protocols are presented for transferring seedlings and material collected from provenance trials into tissue culture.

Methods and Results

The woman in the background is holding a culture vessel containing small green beech plants and is observing this culture. — Doctoral candidate Virginia Zahn with in vitro beech plants in the climate chamber of the Institute of Forest Genetics

In the study, branches from beech trees from a provenance trial in the Berlin Grunewald were used. This aimed to maximize genetic diversity in the study and investigate the suitability of different provenances for in vitro culture. A total of 691 explants from 22 different European provenances were analyzed. The results showed that 13 provenances (57%) could be successfully established in vitro. However, the long-term cultivation of these explants remained challenging.

Additionally, seedlings from Germany were used to establish in vitro cultures. Here, shoot formation rates ranged between 38% and 94%. Intensive sterilization processes and the use of antibiotics in the medium proved effective in preventing losses due to bacterial and fungal contamination. The cultivation of 25 genotypes over the two-year experimental period was successful, highlighting the advantage of this young material compared to provenance trial material as a source.

Further information

Zahn V, Fendel A, Sievers AJ, Fladung M, Bruegmann T (2025) Benefiting from the past: establishing in vitro culture of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) from provenance trial trees and seedlings. Plant Methods 21.1:31.

Link to the publication: dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13007-025-01350-3

The publication was created as part of the “TreeEdit” project, which is financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR) (Grant No. 2219NR359).

Scroll to top