EVIDENCE FOR IN-VITRO INDUCED MUTATION WHICH IMPROVES SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS IN ASPARAGUS-OFFICINALIS L

Somatic embryogenesis from different genotypes of Asparagus officinali s L. could be obtained by in vitro culture of shoot apices. Apices wer e 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 de velopment phase, a new kind of friable highly embryogenic tissue appea red in a random manner. These tissues could be continuously subculture d on a hormone-free medium and were named embryogenic lines. Five of t hese embryogenic lines regenerated plants from somatic embryos. These regenerated plants exhibited an increased embryogenic response compare d to the parent plants; e.g. apex culture produced somatic embryos wit hout 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.