Abstract

Shoot-tips of Ribes nigrum cultivars Tron and Ben More were capable of surviving and regenerating new shoots following cryopreservation. Recovery responses were significantly enhanced when vitrification methods of cryopreservation were used. Different scanning calorimetry revealed that vitrification phenomena were reproducible and that it was possible to stabilise the glassy state on rewarming. The potential for Ribes germplasm cryopreservation to be utilised in large scale conservation initiatives is evaluated in this study.