Effects of Photomixotrophic Conditions on Plants of Eucalyptus Urograndis Propagated in Temporary Immersion Bioreactors

Eucalyptus is one of the crop, which has been investigated with commercial purposes in the world. There are more than 500 species, being the Eucalyptus urograndis one of the most important, because of its intensive use in the production of wood pulp to make papers. The multiplication by means of temporary immersion bioreactors (TIB) is among the present techniques to obtain higher productions of the pulp to satisfy the demands of the market. The effects of the photomixotrophic crop were studies during the elongation of the propagation of shoots in the TIB in order to increase the quality of them. This process consisted of the use of 30 g L-1 combined with two concentration of CO2 (350 and 1200 µmol mol) and two flows of photosynthetic photon flux (PPF= 80 and 250 µmol m-2s-1). The higher percentage of suitable plants were found with the treatment of high PPF (250 µmol m-2 s-1) and 1 200 µmol mol of CO2. The photosynthetic capacity of propagated shoots was of 64% of the adult plants. Also was observed that photomixotrophic conditions reduced the stressed environment that is imposed by the growing in vitro. The catabolic activity in the enzymes of the metabolism of carbon was also reduced, increasing the activity of the Sucrose Phosphate Synthase.