Besides plant propagation and genetic improvement, in vitro PTC has been used as a tool for short-, medium-, and long-term storage of elite or critically endangered germplasm, by using technologies that imply encapsulation/cryoconservation or slow-growth conservation of several propagules, namely seeds, embryos, apical and axillary buds, microshoots, nodal segments, microplantlets, calli, and PLBs
[33][34][35][36]. During cryoconservation, plant material is stored in liquid nitrogen (LN) (−196 °C) or in the vapor phase (from −150 to −196 °C)
[37]. By using seeds or pollen, significant advances have been reported in cryoconservation for the genera
Dendrobium,
Phalaenopsis,
Cymbidium, and
Cattleya [37][38]. In the case of orchid seeds used for ultra-low freezing purposes, desiccation and use of plant vitrification solutions (PVS) as cryoprotectans are key pre-treatments for keeping viability
[37][39]. In
Laelias, seed cryoconservation has only been assayed in
L. autumnalis and
L. speciosa thus far
[40][41]. For these species, the best treatments for seed desiccation implicate air-drying and silica gel (sodium silicate). In
L. speciosa seeds, the use of PVS2 (glycerol 30% + ethylene glycol 15% + dimethylsulfoxide + 0.4 M sucrose) or PVS3 (glycerol 50% + sucrose 50% at 0.4 M) negatively affects seed viability and asymbiotic germination
[41], contrary to reports for PLBs in other orchid species
[42][43][44]. Recently, PVS2 was used successfully in
Encyclia cordigera, keeping seed viability at 93.79% after LN exposure
[45]. Assays with PSV2 and PVS3 in
Laelia species are preliminary, and therefore, evaluation of different exposure times to these solutions and the use of other cryoprotectant agents commonly used in vitro cryoconservation, namely dimethylsulfoxide, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and sucrose
[46], have to be tested. These results will be key factors during the development of vitrification-based cryopreservation protocols for
Laelia orchids.
Another strategy for in vitro conservation during short to medium-long periods (few months to 2–3 years) is slow growth without subculturing
[47]. A combination of 7.4 μM BAP and 5.3 μM NAA has been suggested as adequate for conservation of PLBs of
L. albida [10], but a detailed protocol is still needed. In contrast, a full protocol using asymbiotic germination-derived plantlets that allows in vitro conservation and regeneration was reported for
L. anceps recently. Paclobutrazol at 2 mg·L
−1 is an effective treatment for producing reduced growth of shoots and roots with a 90% survival rate
[48].