Fatty Acid Composition of Total Lipids from Needles and Cultured Calluses of Conifers Pinns sylvestris L., Picea pungens Engelm., Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc., and Larix sibirica Ledeb

A comparative analysis of lipid fatty acid composition (FA) in calluses and needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), white spruce (Picea pungens), Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis), and Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) was carried out bythe method of gas-liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry. In all cases, the total content of monounsaturated acids in callus lipids was higher than in needle lipids. Among these acids, oleic (C18:1) fatty acid predominated. The callus lipids of the species studied were characterized by a smaller relative content and diversity of Delta 5-acids than lipids from needles of the same species. The species-specificity of the needle lipid FA composition was shown to be the same during the cultivation of plant tissues in vitro. FA composition of lipids from cultured calluses and needles of intact plants differed considerably. A possible correlation between the content of oleic acid and the capacity of the plant tissue for morphogenesis and callus genesis is discussed. We suggest that a high content of some fatty acids, primarily of monounsaturated ones, may serve as an early diagnostic marker of the embryogenic potential of callus in culture.