Development of the experimental method using moss protonema in Pohlia flexuosa

Abstract

We developed a new experimental method using protonema of Pohlia flexuosa to access the issues of growth rate and bud formation of moss protonema. Our preliminary experiments revealed the following features: (1) Protonema grow only horizontally and thus forms thin and radial patches; (2) an apical cell of protonema filament does cell division frequently and thus they show high growth rate; (3) septums of protonema filaments are obvious and can be recognized under an optical microscope; and (4) though P. flexuosa protonema were able to control bud differentiation by adding cytokinin, protonema has no bud over 30 days under the ordinary culture conditions.