title: Evidence for in vitro induced mutation which improves somatic embryogenesis in Asparagus officinalis L.
abstract: Somatic embryogenesis from different genotypes of Asparagus officinalis L. could be obtained by in vitro culture of shoot apices. Apices were first cultured on an auxin-rich inducing medium and then transferred onto a hormone-free development medium. All genotypes tested in this way produced a few somatic embryos. In some experiments, during the development phase, a new kind of friable highly embryogenic tissue appeared in a random manner. These tissues could be continuously subcultured on a hormone-free medium and were named embryogenic lines. Five of these embryogenic lines regenerated plants from somatic embryos. These regenerated plants exhibited an increased embryogenic response compared to the parent plants; e.g. apex culture produced somatic embryos without any auxin treatments. For one of the embryogenic lines, a genetic analysis showed that the improved embryogenic response of regenerated plants was controlled by a mendelian dominant monogenic mutation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Route de Saint Cyr, F-78026, Versailles cedex, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Delbreil
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jullien