Authors: Kimon Ionas, Mirjana Vukosavljev, Emilija Bulić, Aleksandra Radanović, Siniša Jocić, Ankica Kondić-Špika, Dragana Miladinović
Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(2), January 2026
Abstract
This study presents the first integrated analysis of genotype, medium interactions and temporal morphogenesis profiling in sunflower regeneration. It aims to characterise genotype-specific responses, identify predictive morphological markers, and develop a scalable framework for breeding and transformation. Eighteen sunflower genotypes were evaluated to assess organogenic performance, and the model genotype Ha-26-PR was used in a complementary experiment testing varying sucrose concentrations to examine their influence on morphogenic outcomes.
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, guided by the Elbow method, identified four optimal clusters aligned with three biologically meaningful categories: High Regenerators, Moderate/Specific Regenerators, and Non-Regenerators. On S1 medium, NO-SU-12 and AS-1-PR showed superior shoot regeneration, while on R4 medium, HA-26-PR-SU and NO-SU-12 performed best. NO-SU-12 and AS-1-PR consistently excelled across both media, whereas AB-OR-8 and FE-7 remained non-regenerators. Medium R4 supported superior regeneration, primarily through root formation, while S1 failed to induce roots in any genotype, highlighting the importance of hormonal composition.
Although sucrose promoted callus induction, it did not trigger organogenesis, and callus presence was weakly and unstably correlated with shoot and root formation. Instead, root formation at 14 days emerged as a robust early predictor of organogenic success. By integrating morphological, temporal and statistical analyses, this work offers a genotype-tailored regeneration framework with direct applications in molecular breeding and CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing, contributing to HelEx’s broader effort to accelerate sunflower improvement for climate resilience and pollinator-friendly traits.
Open Access: Yes • Peer-reviewed: Yes • DOI: 10.3390/ijms27020809