An Improved Method for Embling Production in Pistachio, Pistacia vera L. Using

Authors: Ahmet ONAY, M. Ziya FIRAT, Oktay NAMLI

Abstract: Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and racemic (±) abscisic acid (ABA) together with sucrose were tested for their ability to affect the maturation, germination and embling development of somatic embryos of the pistachio. The number of matured somatic embryos was found to be influenced significantly by concentrations of BAP , ABA and sucrose in the Iiquid maturation medium. The maturation of somatic embryos (SEs) was best achieved with a iow concentration (i.e. 0.5 mg 1{^-1}) of ABA, BAP, and plant-growth regulator-free Iiquid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. The duration of the embryo maturation treatment, the duration of the culture for germination and embling development, and the concentrations of ABA and BAP during germination and embling development also produced significant effects. Germination probabilities varied from 0.59 to 0.33 and 0.50 to 0.26 with BAP and ABA, respectively. The frequency of germination (0.62) was highest with the plant-growth regulator-free (PGR-free) control treatment and Iowest (0.26) with 2 mg 1{^-1} ABA. Under the same germination conditions, embling probabilities varied from 0.45 to 0.27 and 0.24 to 0.13 with BAP and ABA, respectively . The frequency of developed emblings was also highest (0.52) in the PGR-free control treatments and Iowest (0.13) with 2 mg 1{^-1} ABA. Abbreviations: ABA - abscisic acid; BAP - 6-benzylaminopurine (N^6-benzyladenine); EMS(es)embryogenic mass(es); MS - Murashige & Skoog; P-fitted probability; PGR(s) - plant - growth regulator(s); RH - relative humidity; SE(s) - somatic embryo(s)

Keywords: Oabscisic acid, benzylaminopurine, micropropagation, plant tissue culture, somatic embryogenesis.