Environmental conditions at the initial stages of Pinus radiata somatic embryogenesis affect the production of somatic embryos

Abstract

Physicochemical conditions present during the initiation of somatic embryogenesis in Pinus radiata determine the rate of embryogenic cell lines generated as well as the final number of somatic embryos. The effect of physical and chemical conditions during the initiation and proliferation stages of somatic embryogenesis in radiata pine was investigated. The first objective was to assess if different temperatures and/or water availability during the initiation or proliferation of embryogenic tissue impacted the success rate during each stage of somatic embryogenesis. The second objective was to determine what stage has a greater influence on subsequent stages of development. Some treatments (18 °C, 4 g L−1 gellan gum) resulted in a higher percentage of initiation whereas others (28 °C, 2 g L−1 gellan gum) gave rise to lower initiation. Our results indicated that initiation at different temperatures affected the subsequent stages of somatic embryogenesis. Thus, these embryogenic tissues were influenced by the environmental conditions present at initiation. We were able to successfully regenerate somatic embryos from cell lines initiated under all the environmental conditions tested.