High frequency plant regeneration from Aralia cordata somatic embryos

An efficient method of plant regeneration from Aralia cordatasomatic embryos was developed. Somatic embryos at early stages obtained through inflorescences–derived embryogenic cell suspension cultures were matured in liquid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing various concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA). For plant regeneration, mature cotyledonary embryos were transferred to solid MS basal medium for 6 weeks. Plant regeneration frequency of the embryos matured from heart-shaped embryos was proportional to the concentration of ABA from 0.76 to 3.8 M. The highest frequency (60.7%) was obtained from 3.8 M ABA pretreatment. The survival rate of the plantlets after transfer to plastic pots containing vermiculite in the growth room was 90%. All plants transferred to soil in greenhouse survived. The results indicate that micropropagation procedure can be applied for an efficient mass propagation of Aralia cordata.