Calli induction in leaf explants of coffee elite genotypes

Abstract

Three experiments were carried out with the objective of achieving high effectiveness in calli induction from high heterozygosis leaf explants of Coffea arabica through indirect somatic embryogenesis. A randomized-block design in a 2x5 factorial arrangement made up of two media [BOXTEL & BERTHOULY (1996) and TEIXEIRA et al. (2004)] and five C. arabica genotypes were used in the first experiment. In the second experiment the embryogenic calli production potential was evaluated in ten genotypes. Each of them was considered as a treatment. In the third experiment the variations in both 2.4-D (2.5 e 20µM) and 2-iP (2.5 e 20µM) concentrations in TEIXEIRA et al. (2004) medium and secondary media were evaluated. Crops were kept in a growth room under darkness, at 25±2oC. The medium described by TEIXEIRA et al (2004) was found to be superior when compared to that described by BOXTEL & BERTHOULY (1996) in the 2.2 and 7.2 genotypes. An opposite behavior was noticed in 4.2 genotype, that is, BOXTEL & BERTHOULY (1996) had medium superiority. Both 3.0 and 5.0 genotypes had the same behavior in both media studied, which shows that the somatic embryo production depends on the genotype. Calli induction depends on the 2-iP and 2.4 D ratio. The 20.0µM of 2.4-D and 20.0µM of 2-iP combination caused the highest embryogenic calli induction rate.