Hellebores In Vitro Micropropagation

Hellebores, the Genus Helleborus in the Family Ranunculaceae, are perennial flowering plants that are often grown in gardens for decorative purposes. The genus is increasing in commercial importance because of the evergreen nature of its species, its perennial winter and early spring blooming, and its use as a cut flower. It is also valued for its environmental adaptation such as frost, acid soil and deer-resistance. Helleborus is one of the most popular shade plants in the U.S.A. and Virginia. The annual market value for Helleborus in Virginia is approximately $1 million dollars.

However, two major problems have highly restricted Helleborus production nationwide: the difficulty in its sexual and asexual propagation, and the long period (up to 24 months) of its natural seed dormancy. Due to the problems, Virginia can only produce 30% of the plants required for the $1 million dollar market. Therefore we are developing an efficient in vitro micropropagation system composing of three elements:

1. decontamination of field/greenhouse/growth room explant materials,
   
   
2. in-house Helleborus stock plant production to ensure clean and sufficient material supply and
   
   
3. tissue culture conditions for micro propagation, which enables a massive and rapid production of Helleborus to meet the current and future market demands in Virginia.