Roberto Valverde

Picloram-induced somatic embryogenesis in pejibaye palm (Bactris gasipaes H.B.K.)

Somatic embryogenesis in pejibaye or peach palm (Bactris gasipaes H.B.K.) was induced from callus derived from in vitro cultured shoot tips of young field-grown plants using a modified Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 5 mg L−1 of N6-benzyladenine (BA) and 0.06 mg L−1 of picloram for three months in the dark; this was followed by an additional three months with the same medium and incubation conditions, but using 0.03 mg L−1 of picloram. The cultures were then transferred to light on a medium without hormones. This led to the formation of morphogenic callus, in which somatic embryos, as well as shoot primordia, and finally complete plantlets were formed. These plantlets continued to grow on transfer to the greenhouse.