Effect of ABA on Growth and Development of Walnut Somatic Embryos

Abstract

Development and maturation of somatic embryos is known to be abnormal in many species, particularly woody species. Precocious germination, abnormal cotyledon formation, and shoot development are three problems, among others, that occur during the growth and germination of walnut somatic embryos. Depending on the cultivar or line being cultured, as much as 50% of the embryos in any given culture may be abnormal. Reports in the literature have shown that ABA is useful in enhancing maturation and producing normal germination of somatic embryos of a variety of plant species. In order to overcome the difficulties of producing plants from somatic embryos in walnut, we have incorporated ABA in the nutrient medium in different concentrations and for different periods of time. Globular and cotyledonary embryos were separated and placed on DKW medium containing four different concentrations of ABA, 30, 60, 80, and 120 μM. Morphology, fresh weight, and germination of embryos grown on these different media were recorded. Embryos grown on ABA had lower fresh weight increases than controls, the actual growth depending on both the concentration of ABA present and the length of time the embryos were grown on ABA-containing media. In addition, the percentage of embryos with normal morphology was considerably higher when embryos were grown on ABA. Other factors that were affected by the presence of ABA included the total number of embryos produced and the amount of senescence in the cultures. Germination of embryos was also improved as a result of their being cultured on ABA-containing media.