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Somatic embryogenesis in Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn

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Abstract

Induction of somatic embryos and plant regeneration was demonstrated for the first time in Alnus glutinosa. Somatic embryos were initiated from zygotic embryos collected 1–3 weeks post-anthesis (WPA), i.e., when they were at globular or early cotyledonary stage and were 0.5–1 mm in length. Induction frequency (16.6 %) and the mean number of somatic embryos (4.5 embryos/explant) were highest after culture of zygotic embryos, collected at 3 WPA, on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 0.9-μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2.22-μM benzyladenine (BA). No embryogenic induction was observed on medium with BA alone. Initial somatic embryos differentiated indirectly from callus tissue formed at the surface of the zygotic embryos. Embryogenic competence was maintained by secondary embryogenesis, which was affected by explant type, plant growth regulators and genotype. Secondary embryogenesis was induced by culture of small groups of whole somatic embryos or isolated cotyledon explants on medium consisting of MS medium (half-strength macronutrients) supplemented with 0.44-μM BA. Histological study of isolated cotyledon explants revealed that secondary embryos developed directly from differentiated embryogenic tissue on the surface of cotyledons. Somatic embryos at successive stages of development, including cotyledonary-stage embryos with shoot and root meristems, were evident. For plantlet conversion, somatic embryos were transferred to maturation medium supplemented with 3 % maltose, followed by 6 weeks of culture in Woody Plant Medium supplemented with 0.44-μM BA and 0.46-μM Zeatin (Z). This novel protocol appears promising for mass propagation, conservation and genetic transformation of black alder.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mª José Cernadas and José Carlos Suárez for their excellent technical and laboratory assistance. This research was partially funded by INLUDES (Diputacion Provincial de Lugo) and Xunta de Galicia (Spain) through Project 09MRU002400PR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Physiology, Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia (CSIC), Apartado 122, 15780, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Elena Corredoira, Silvia Valladares, Mª Teresa Martínez, Ana Mª Vieitez & Mª Carmen San José

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  1. Elena Corredoira
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  2. Silvia Valladares
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  3. Mª Teresa Martínez
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  4. Ana Mª Vieitez
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  5. Mª Carmen San José
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Correspondence to Elena Corredoira.

Additional information

Communicated by J. Carlson.

S. Valladares and E. Corredoira contributed equally to this work.

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Corredoira, E., Valladares, S., Martínez, M.T. et al. Somatic embryogenesis in Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. Trees 27, 1597–1608 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0907-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0907-8

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