INVITRO SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS AND PLANT-REGENERATION IN CLITORIA-TERNATEA

A sustainable plant regeneration system in vitro through somatic embryos from mature sexual embryos has been reported in Clitoria ternatea. Somatic embryos developed through callus from seedling roots on hormone-free MS medium (MS1). Addition of growth hormones, KN 0.5 mg dm-3 (MS2) or KN + 1AA 0.5 mg dm-3 of each (MS3) induced direct somatic embryos, in high frequency, on split root and hypocotyl systems. The embryogenic potential varied with the organ, roots or hypocotyls, and also with the medium. The morphogenetic capacity of the somatic embryos is retained for more than 2 years by subculturing at intervals of 4 weeks on MS3 in complete darkness. Somatic embryos. under the appropriate subculture conditions (16 h light/8 h dark photoperiod at 24 +/- 1-degrees-C on media MS3, MS4 and MS5), resulted in recurrent-somatic embryogenesis and was profuse at the shoot and root apices of the somatic embryos. Mature somatic embryos were transplanted to MS1 to stimulate germination and plantlet regeneration. Plantlets, developed from primary and secondary embryos on MS1, were successfully hardened and grown in natural outdoor conditions. The morphology and histology of the somatic embryo and plantlet and the culture conditions for continuous production of plantlets through direct somatic embryogeny are discussed.