AUTHOR=Arab Mohammad M. , Yadollahi Abbas , Shojaeiyan Abdolali , Ahmadi Hamed 

TITLE=Artificial Neural Network Genetic Algorithm As Powerful Tool to Predict and Optimize In vitro Proliferation Mineral Medium for G × N15 Rootstock

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2016.01526

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2016.01526

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>One of the major obstacles to the micropropagation of <italic>Prunus</italic> rootstocks has, up until now, been the lack of a suitable tissue culture medium. Therefore, reformulation of culture media or modification of the mineral content might be a breakthrough to improve <italic>in vitro</italic> multiplication of G × N15 (garnem). We found artificial neural network in combination of genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) as a very precise and powerful modeling system for optimizing the culture medium, So that modeling the effects of MS mineral salts (<inline-formula><mml:math id="M1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NH</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msubsup></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><mml:math id="M2" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><mml:math id="M3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>PO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, Ca<sup>2+</sup>, K<sup>+</sup>, <inline-formula><mml:math id="M4" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>SO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, and Cl<sup>−</sup>) on <italic>in vitro</italic> multiplication parameters (the number of microshoots per explant, average length of microshoots, weight of calluses derived from the base of stem explants, and quality index of plantlets) of G × N15. Showed high <italic>R</italic><sup>2</sup> correlation values of 87, 91, 87, and 74 between observed and predicted values were found for these four growth parameters, respectively. According to the ANN-GA results, among the input variables, <inline-formula><mml:math id="M5" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NH</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><mml:math id="M6" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula> had the highest values of VSR in data set for the parameters studied. The ANN-GA showed that the best proliferation rate was obtained from medium containing (mM) 27.5 <inline-formula><mml:math id="M7" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, 14 <inline-formula><mml:math id="M8" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>NH</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, 5 Ca<sup>2+</sup>, 25.9 K<sup>+</sup>, 0.7 Mg<sup>2+</sup>, 1.1 <inline-formula><mml:math id="M9" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>PO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, 4.7 <inline-formula><mml:math id="M10" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>SO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula>, and 0.96 Cl<sup>−</sup>. The performance of the medium optimized by ANN-GA, denoted as YAS (Yadollahi, Arab and Shojaeiyan), was compared to that of standard growth media for all <italic>Prunus</italic> rootstock, including the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, (specific media) EM, Quoirin and Lepoivre (QL) medium, and woody plant medium (WPM) <italic>Prunus</italic>. With respect to shoot length, shoot number per cultured explant and productivity (number of microshoots × length of microshoots), YAS was found to be superior to other media for <italic>in vitro</italic> multiplication of G × N15 rootstocks. In addition, our results indicated that by using ANN-GA, we were able to determine a suitable culture medium formulation to achieve the best <italic>in vitro</italic> productivity.</p>