Dendrobium sonia-28 is an important ornamental orchid in the Malaysian flower industry. However, the genus faces both low germination rates and the risk of producing heterozygous progenies. Cryopreservation is currently the favoured long-term storage method for orchids with propagation problems. Vitrification, a frequently used cryopreservation technique, involves the application of pretreatmen...

Phytoene synthase (PSY) is the first rate-limiting regulatory enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. In order to modify the floral color pattern by reducing carotenoid contents, a phytoene synthase-RNAi construct was delivered into protocorm-like body (PLB) of Oncidium hybrid orchid. The transgenic orchids show down-regulated level of PSY and geranyl synthase gene. They displayed semi-d...

A protocol was established for mass clonal propagation of Phalaenopsis amabilis cv. 'Golden horizon' through in vitro culture of young leaf segments from mature plant. Explants were cultured on half strength Murashige and Skoog (1/2 MS) medium supplemented with N6-benzyladenine (2.0 mg l-1), a-naphthaleneaceetic acid (0.5 mg l-1), 2% (w/v) sucrose, 10% (v/v) coconut water, 2 g l-1 peptone and 1...

Alkaloids are the main active ingredients in the medicinal plant Dendrobium officinale. Based on the published genomic and transcriptomic data, a proposed terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA) biosynthesis pathway may be present in D. officinale. In this study, protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) with a high-yielding production of alkaloids were obtained by the optimization of tryptophan, secologanin and me...

Somatic embryogenesis receptor-like kinase (SERK) genes have been found to be involved in the somatic embryogenesis of several plant species. We identified and characterized 5 PhSERK genes in the Phalaenopsis orchid. The amino acid sequences of PhSERKs and other SERK proteins are highly conserved, with the highest homology observed in the leucine-rich repeat-receptor-like kinase domain. All 5 P...