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Somatic and Zygotic Embryogenesis in Avocado

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Somatic Embryogenesis

Part of the book series: Plant Cell Monographs ((CELLMONO,volume 2))

Abstract

Avocado is a species widely cultivated for its highly nutritious fruit. Currently, soil-borne diseases such as Phytophthora root rot are severe threats for commercial plantings and breeding programmes by conventional means to select genotypes tolerant to this disease are under way in different countries. Use of biotechnological tools would be very useful for improvement of this crop. Somatic embryogenesis could be used to generate variability in vitro as well as for genetic transformation. At present, somatic embryos can be obtained by culturing immature zygotic embryos in Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with 0.1 mg l−1 picloram. Proliferation of embryogenic cultures can take place under the same conditions used for culture initiation; however, development of white-opaque somatic embryos requires cultivation of previously synchronized globular-stage embryos in a B5 formulation based medium solidified with agar at 10 g l−1. Conversion of these embryos takes place at a 10–20% rate in MS medium at half strength with a 0.5 mg l−1 benzylaminopurine supplement. Somatic embryos from adult explants have occasionally been obtained; however, methods are needed to improve the induction process as well as to properly mature the resulting embryos, before somatic embryogenesis can be widely used in avocado breeding programmes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFAPA, CIFA Málaga, Cortijo de la Cruz s/n, 29140, Churriana-Málaga, Spain

    C. Sánchez-Romero & B. Márquez-Martín

  2. Dpto. Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    F. Pliego-Alfaro

Authors
  1. C. Sánchez-Romero
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  2. B. Márquez-Martín
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  3. F. Pliego-Alfaro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Pliego-Alfaro .

Editor information

A. Mujib Jozef Šamaj

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Sánchez-Romero, C., Márquez-Martín, B., Pliego-Alfaro, F. Somatic and Zygotic Embryogenesis in Avocado. In: Mujib, A., Šamaj, J. (eds) Somatic Embryogenesis. Plant Cell Monographs, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/7089_026

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