Efficient embryogenesis in the callus of tea (Camellia sinensis) enhanced by the osmotic stress or antibiotics treatment

Abstract

In developing a technique for plantlet regeneration in vitro by somatic embryogenesis and adventitious bud formation, callus formation must be avoided to prevent somaclonal variation. However the somaclonal variation caused by callus formation is considered to be important because it potentially promotes diversity in the breeding material. In the present study, we developed an efficient method for somatic embryogenesis from callus derived from shoot apex of tea Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze. The addition of mannitol at 0.31 M improved somatic embryogenesis relative to that on medium without mannitol (25% and 7%, respectively). When the callus was cultured on medium with small amounts of hygromycin (5-10 mg l-1), the differentiation rate increased up to 43% that of control. Results suggested that culturing with osmotica or antibiotics was quite effective to induce somatic embryogenesis from vegetative-derived callus tissue of tea plants. Copyright © 2005 The Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology.