Differences in developmental morphology of protoplasts from two cell lines of white spruce (Picea glauca)

Abstract

Until recently cultured protoplasts of conifers remained recalcitrant (see Dunstan and Thorpe, 1987). The establishment of embryogenic suspension cultures of both white spruce (Picea glauca) (Hakman and Fowke, 1987) and (Pinus taeda) (Gupta and Durzan, 1986) has created a new source of protoplasts capable of somatic embryo regeneration (Attree et al, 1987; Gupta and Durzan; 1987). However, not all embryogenic suspension lines of white spruce have yielded protoplasts capable of regenerating embryos; protoplasts from one line gave rise to green callus but no somatic embryos (Bekkaoui et al, 1987). The ability to regenerate embryos from protoplasts of all cell lines may be crucial to creating improved forest trees using protoplast technology. In this communication a comparison is made between two white spruce embryogenic suspension lines.