EXPRESIÓN EMBRIOGÉNICA DIRECTA EN Agave cupreata

Abstract

<p><strong>Background:</strong> <em>Agave cupreata</em> is a specie that can only reproduce by seeds and could take up to 15 years until flowering, placing it at risk of extinction due to its agroindustrial exploitation to produce mezcal. <strong>Objective:</strong> To evaluate the type of explant, the vitamin complex and 2,4-D concentrations on the direct embryogenic response. <strong>Methodology:</strong> Explants of leaf, root and stem sections were evaluated. Also, the vitamins MS (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) and L2 (Phillips and Collins, 1979), five concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), (0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) and six concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), (0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) were assayed for the expression of somatic embryos directly. <strong>Results: </strong>The leaf explant, the vitamin L2 complex, and the concentration of 0.9 mg L<sup>-1</sup> of 2,4-D and 0.5 mg L<sup>-1</sup> of IAA turned out to be the most efficient for the formation of pro-embryogenic masses and the expression of direct somatic embryos in the globular state. <strong>Implications:</strong> These results lay the groundwork for the future regeneration of <em>A. cupreata</em> plants via direct somatic embryogenesis, potentially facilitating their conservation and mass propagation. This contributes to the sustainability of mezcal; boosts the local economy, preserves biodiversity, and ensures the continued production of this endangered species. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> For the first time, the successful expression of somatic embryos directly from <em>A. cupreata</em> explants was evidenced.</p>