Abstract
Considering the necessity of Acrocomia aculeata propagation for large-scale production, the aim of this study was to establish a somatic embryogenesis protocol using the thin cell layer (TCL) technique. Aerial parts of in vitro plants were transversally cut at the base into eight TCLs and placed in a culture medium for callus induction. The induction medium was composed of Y3 salts and Morel´s vitamins and supplemented with 150, 300 or 600 μM picloram. After 12 weeks the calli were transferred to a medium supplemented with BAP or 2-iP (12.5 or 25 μM). After 18 weeks, the somatic embryo clusters were transferred to a conversion medium (plant growth regulator-free medium). Primary callus induction rate was higher in the first three TCLs and in media containing 150 or 300 µM picloram. The best maturation results were obtained in medium containing 12.5 μM 2-iP or 12.5 μM BAP. Few somatic embryos converted into plants. The histological analyses showed that callus induction started adjacent to vascular bundles after two days of culture, and somatic embryos arose in the periphery of nodular calli. This study showed that the TCL embryogenesis protocol is promising for in vitro multiplication of A. aculeata.
Highlights
Acrocomia aculeata is a palm species native to Central and South America
The remaining leaf portion was transversally cut from the base into eight slices about one mm thick (TCLs) (Steinmacher et al 2007c), which were used as explants for somatic embryogenesis (Fig. 1)
A preliminary experiment with this species found that callus induction in leaf explants of a 5 mm thickness was very low, while the induction in transverse thin cell layer (TCL) was high
Summary
Acrocomia aculeata is a palm species native to Central and South America. Its fruits hold great potential for the production of two types of oil, one from the mesocarp and the other from the kernel (Henderson et al 1995; Lorenzi 2006). The use of the fruit for oil generates by-products such as mesocarp cake, which is rich in high-value soluble fibers for use in animal feed and the production of cakes and biscuits (Ramos et al 2008). The production of A. aculeata is primarily extractive and its propagation done with seeds, which exhibit dormancy and experience a low germination rate (Lorenzi 2006; Ribeiro et al 2012), Motoike et al (2007) developed a method that raised the germination rate to 60-80%. For large-scale commercial use of A. aculeata it is necessary to develop a technique for the clonal propagation in order to establish a uniform cultivation system
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