Current status of the cryopreservation of embryogenic material of woody species.

Cryopreservation, or the storage at liquid nitrogen temperatures (-196°C), of embryogenic cells or somatic embryos allows their long-term conservation without loss of their embryogenic capacity. During the last decade, protocols for cryopreservation of embryogenic material of woody species have been increasing in number and importance. However, despite the large experimental evidence proved in thousands of embryogenic lines, the application for the large-scale conservation of embryogenic material in cryobanks is still limited. Cryopreservation facilitates the management of embryogenic lines, reducing costs and time spent on their maintenance, thus limiting the risk of the appearance of somaclonal variation or contamination. Somatic embryogenesis in combination with cryopreservation is especially useful to preserve the juvenility of lines while the corresponding clones are being field-tested. Hence, when tree performance has been evaluated, selected varieties can be propagated from the cryostock. The traditional method of slow cooling or techniques based on vitrification are mostly applied procedures. For example, slow cooling methods are widely applied to conserve embryogenic lines of conifers. Desiccation based procedures, although simpler, have been applied in a smaller number of species. Genetic stability of the cryopreserved material is supported by multiloci PCR-derived markers in most of the assayed species, whereas DNA methylation status assays showed that cryopreservation might induce some changes that were also observed after prolonged subculture of the embryogenic lines. This article reviews the cryopreservation of embryogenic cultures in conifers, fruit species, deciduous forest species and palms, including a description of the different cryopreservation procedures and the analysis of their genetic stability after storage in liquid nitrogen.

Germination Behavior and Early Seedling Growth in Abies pinsapo Boiss. Seeds.

Abies pinsapo Boiss. is a conifer endemic to southern Spain. It is categorized as an endangered species in the IUCN list and the plant communities it forms are considered unique ecosystems, being the remains of fir forests occupying the Mediterranean basin during the last glaciations. Understanding seed germination and plant production is essential for the management and conservation of A. pinsapo stands. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of temperature and light on germination behavior and early seedling growth of A. pinsapo seeds from different populations. The results obtained reveal a significant influence of seed origin on germination percentage. Temperature played a critical role on germination rate, with optimal results at 15 °C. Light only significantly affected germination in seeds from Grazalema, although significant population × light and temperature x light interactions could be inferred. In relation to germination kinetics, different responses to the environmental factors tested were observed among seeds from different provenances. Globally, the temperature influenced all the germination parameters, except germination onset. However, light affected germination initiation and speed. Early seedling growth depended on seed origin and temperature. The temperature played a determinant role as temperatures above 15 °C strongly limited plantlets development. Light only significantly influenced root length in plantlets obtained from Grazalema seeds.

Somatic Embryogenesis in Olive.

The olive is a fruit tree species economically very important in countries of the Mediterranean basin. Somatic embryogenesis is a powerful in vitro technique with multiple applications in different fields, including breeding programs performed by both classical and innovative procedures. This editorial paper presents a special issue focused on "Somatic embryogenesis in olive". In this manuscript, the conceptual framework of the special issue is established and the contributions are summarized and put into context. Finally, the main bottlenecks limiting the practical applicability of somatic embryogenesis are identified and the future research prospects are discussed.

Effect of Cryopreservation on the Ex Vitro Establishment of Olive Plants Regenerated via Somatic Embryogenesis.

Cryopreservation is considered the best technique for the safe, long-term conservation of embryogenic cultures. However, before integrating it into a somatic embryogenesis system, the influence of cryopreservation on the final production of plants should be investigated. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation on the regeneration performance of olive embryogenic cultures as well as on the quality of the plants obtained and their response to ex vitro establishment. In order to analyze the influence of the genotype, all the investigations were carried out in two genetically distinct embryogenic lines. The results obtained revealed no variation in the regeneration potential or the quality of the regenerated plants due to cryopreservation. The subsequent multiplication, rooting, and acclimatization steps were not influenced by cryopreservation either, although a significant genotype × cryopreservation interaction was found for shoot length during the multiplication step. The genotype played an important role, determining the quality of the regenerated plants and some aspects of the multiplication and rooting phases. This investigation revealed that the droplet-vitrification procedure optimized for the cryopreservation of olive somatic embryos can be efficiently used for the long-term conservation of olive embryogenic lines.

Effect of Cryopreservation on Olive (Olea europaea L.) Plant Regeneration via Somatic Embryogenesis.

Olive somatic embryos have been successfully cryopreserved using the droplet-vitrification method on aluminum foil strips. Although acceptable recovery rates have been obtained after rewarming, the influence of this cryopreservation protocol on the somatic embryogenesis process is unknown. To evaluate the effect of cryopreservation on olive somatic embryogenesis, the behavior of cultures established from cryopreserved somatic embryos was compared with that of control, non-cryopreserved cultures in the different phases of the somatic embryogenesis process. In order to analyze the influence of the genotype, this investigation was carried out in two independent lines. During the proliferation step, only the line T1 was affected by cryopreservation, with higher fresh weight increases. Although similar total embryos were produced per culture, freezing in liquid nitrogen significantly improved the maturation pattern in the line P5. Better germination results were also found in this embryogenic line. The genotype plays a key role, largely determining the effect of cryopreservation on olive somatic embryogenesis. A specific genotype-dependent response was found depending on the culture step. Variations observed could not be associated to differences in the embryogenic lines' instability to maintain their morphogenic competence after cryopreservation. Embryogenic cultures established after rewarming retained their regeneration capacity, with no evident negative effects affecting their regeneration capacity.

The use of 2D-DIGE to understand the regeneration of somatic embryos in avocado.

Avocado embryogenic cell cultures can be classified into two groups based on their morphology when cultured on a medium containing auxin: somatic embryo (SE) and proembryonic masses (PEM) type cultures. The calli of SE-type cell lines are able to go through the maturation process, whereas the calli of PEM cell lines rarely mature. We have investigated four independent avocado cell cultures (two SE and two PEM). The aim of this study was to link the differential regeneration capacity of the four cell cultures to a proteomic pattern and to gain insight into the regeneration capacity. A 2D-DIGE analysis followed by a blind multivariate analysis was able to separate the two SE lines from the PEM lines indicating that the protein profiles of SE and PEM calli are different. Based on the variable importance, that is, the differential protein pattern, we hypothesize that the regeneration capacity in avocado is correlated to the ability to overcome the physicochemical stress stimuli associated with the in vitro culture. Our identical culture conditions do not seem to trigger an appropriate response in PEM lines.

Water relations in culture media influence maturation of avocado somatic embryos.

Application of transformation and other biotechnological tools in avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is hampered by difficulties in obtaining mature somatic embryos capable of germination at an acceptable rate. In this work, we evaluated the effect of different compounds affecting medium water relations on maturation of avocado somatic embryos. Culture media were characterized with respect to gel strength, water potential and osmotic potential. Improved production of mature somatic embryos was achieved with gelling agent concentrations higher than those considered standard. The osmotic agents such as sorbitol and PEG did not have positive effects on embryo maturation. The number of w-o mature somatic embryos per culture was positively correlated with medium gel strength. Gel strength was significantly affected by gelling agent type as well as by gelling agent and PEG concentration. Medium water potential was influenced by sorbitol concentration; incorporation of PEG to a culture medium did not affect medium water potential. The highest maturation results were achieved on a medium gelled with 10 gl(-1) agar. Moreover, these somatic embryos had improved germination rates. These results corroborate the role of water restriction as a key factor controlling maturation of somatic embryos.