| Summary: | Tissue-cultured shoots and plantlets usually have leaves with non-functional, open stomata and little epicuticular and cuticular wax, resulting in excess evapotranspiration after transplantation. Various strategies were evaluated to decrease ex vitro acclimatization difficulties for 'Silvan' blackberry, including transplanting unrooted shoots, increasing the medium agar concentration from 6 to 9 or 12 g/l and diluting the basal medium. Increased medium agar concentrations and medium dilution did not improve survival or growth. Stomatal function resumed sooner in new leaves of plantlets than shoots. High relative humidity ($>$95%) and low light intensity (90 $ mu$mol s$ sp{-1}$ m$ sp{-2}$) negatively affected stomatal closure both on acclimatizing transplants and greenhouse-grown plants. Guard cells developed on leaves in vitro were physiologically active but had apparent anatomical abnormalities that inhibited closure. A rapid clearing and staining method was developed for examination of foliar morphology using intact in vitro blackberry (Rubus sp. 'Silvan') and strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch. 'Totem') plantlets and sections of greenhouse-grown 'Silvan' and 'Totem' leaves. This method involved three steps: (1) removing the chlorophyll by autoclaving in 80% ethanol; (2) dissolution of the protoplasm using 5% NaOH at 80$ sp circ$C; (3) post-alkali treatment with 75% bleach (4.5% NaClO) at room temperature for tissue-cultured plantlets and at 55$ sp circ$C for greenhouse-grown leaves. Aqueous safranin (10 mg/l) was used for staining.
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