Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of cacao.

摘要

The present invention relates to a method of controlled regeneration of cacao plant which comprises: providing a somatic embryo; culturing the somatic embryo on a maturation medium capable of inducing differentiation of the embryo and culturing the differentiated embryo on a medium capable of inducing germination, to produce plantlets capable of developing into mature plants. The invention also relates to a method of providing somatic embryos which comprises: culturing mature somatic tissue on a primary culture medium to obtain immature embryos; and culturing the immature embryos on an isolation medium capable of inducing completion of the development of somatic embryos. Therefore, the invention provides a means by which plantlets and mature plants can be obtained from somatic embryos of any source, either maternal or zygotic. It also provides a means for obtaining somatic embryos from two new sources from adult donor plants, namely nucellus and young petals from young flower buds. The methods according to the present invention allow the production of genetic carbon copies or clones of a known donor plant which has been selected under field conditions.