Plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis in sugarcane

Abstract

Plants, regenerated from callus cultures of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) clone IJ76-316, originated through somatic embryogenesis. Callus cultures were established from primordial leaves and apical meristems on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 3 mg 1⁻¹ 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid and 100 ml 1⁻¹ coconut water (MSC₃). Nodular calli formed within 2 weeks of culture. Calli were maintained on MSC₃ medium by transfer every 3 to 4 weeks. Somatic embryogenesis occurred after 10 weeks culture of callus on MSC₃ medium. Somatic embryogenesis was also observed in cell suspension cultures initiated from calli maintained on MSC₃ and then cultured in half strength MS liquid medium supplemented with 0.5 mg 1⁻¹ 2,4-D. Somatic embryos produced coleoptiles and shoots 2 to 4 weeks after transfer to MS medium supplemented with 100 ml 1⁻¹ coconut water (MSC), and produced complete plantlets within 4 weeks of further culture on half-strengh MS medium (half-MS) with 30 g 1⁻¹ sucrose. Calli grown on MSC₃ medium, when transferred to half-MS medium containing 15 g 1⁻¹ sucrose, produced tiny plantlets, circa 4–10 mm, without forming coleoptiles, suggesting precocious germination of somatic embryos. The regenerates included morphological variants.