Induction of Somatic Embryogenesis from Immature Cotyledons in 'Tombul' Hazelnut

Abstract

Effects of 6-benzyladenine (BA) in combination with auxins either 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) on the induction of somatic embryogenesis in different cotyledon maturity stages of open-pollinated seeds of 'Tombul' hazelnut cultivar were investigated. Immature cotyledon explants were collected 45 and 30 days before harvest on July 1 and July 15 respectively. Initial Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium with half-strength of macronutrients containing 1.0 mg L-1 BA, 0.5 mg L-1 NAA and 250 mg L-1 L-glutamine resulted in the highest embryogenesis (66.7%) and the highest number of somatic embryo (5.5) per cotyledon explant. The cotyledons collected 45 days before the harvest were more inductive than those collected 30 days before the harvest on embryogenesis.