Abstract

The olive (Olea europaea L.) is an economically important species in the Mediterranean basin. Studies on the improvement of the olive using biotechnological techniques as somatic embryogenesis were always hampered by the recalcitrant aspect of its explants to regeneration in vitro. Thus, we carried out this investigation in order to test the embryogenic capacity of different types of explants of the Moroccan olive cultivar Dahbia: ovaries and stamens (taken from unpollinated flowers), radicles and cotyledons (excised from zygotic embryos) and leaves andpetioles (taken from micropropagated plantlets which were maintained in vitro for fouryears) were cultured for three weeks on an induction medium (OMi) consisting of abasal olive medium (OM), supplemented with 25 µM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 2.5 µM 2-isopentenyladenine (2iP), transferred to OM medium devoid of growth regulators for four weeks, and then to an olive cyclic embryogenesis medium (ECO)supplemented with 0.25 µM (IBA), 0.44 µM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.5 µM 2iP. All the obtained calli were morphologically identical on ECO supplemented with growth regulators; they were compact and brownish and exhibited nodules on their periphery. The histological observation showed cells with embryogeniccharacteristics. Although, acquisition of embryogenic competence was shown on all the calli, the expression of embryogenic cells into somatic embryos were observed on the sole zygotic origin (radicles and cotyledons), indicating that, within the same cultivar and the same culture conditions, the expression capacity varies according to the explants nature.

Key words: Somatic embryogenesis, embryogenic competence, Olea europaea L., Dahbia cv.

Abbreviation

MS, Murashige and Skoog medium; BAP, 6-benzylaminopurine; 2iP, 2-isopentenyladenine; ECO, olive cyclic embryogenesis medium; IBA, indole-3-butyric acid; OM, olive medium; OMe, modified olive medium.