Di. Dunstan et al., EVENTS FOLLOWING ABA TREATMENT OF SPRUCE SOMATIC EMBRYOS, In vitro cellular & developmental biology. Plant, 34(2), 1998, pp. 159-168
Abscisic acid (ABA) is involved in various physiological processes in
plant growth and in the development of embryos and the maturation of s
eed. There is still much to learn about the influence of ABA on regula
tion of gene expression during plant and seed development. Perhaps not
surprisingly, ABA has a major role in the stimulation of somatic embr
yo maturation in several conifer species, especially spruces. In spite
of this, our knowledge of the effects of exogenous ABA is incomplete,
for example the effect of ABA concentration on its uptake and fate ha
s rarely been investigated during somatic embryo culture, and our know
ledge of molecular events in conifer somatic embryo development is ver
y scant. The intent of this review is to summarize some of the recent
research in spruce somatic embryo development related to the use of AB
A and to the consequence of its use.