Induction of adventitious shoots or somatic embryos on in vitro cultured zygotic embryos of Helianthus annuus: Variation of endogenous hormone levels

The induction of both shoots and somatic embryos from the same cells of immature zygotic embryos (IZE) of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is dependent on the sugar concentration of the induction medium. With the same concentration of benzyladenine (BAP), shoots are induced at a sucrose concentration of 3 %, while somatic embryos will develop at 12 % sucrose. To understand the role played by endogenous hormones, we have investigated the temporal variation of their levels during culture of IZE on caulogenic or embryogenic medium. The BAP taken up from the medium reaches a maximum concentration in the explants at 6–15 h of culture. When the IZE were cultured under caulogenic conditions, the endogenous concentration of BAP was 2-fold higher than in an IZE cultured on embryogenic medium. Inversely, the concentration of indolyl acetic acid (IAA) induced by the exogenously added BAP was 4-fold higher in explants cultured on embryogenic than in those cultured on caulogenic medium. The IAA concentration peaked in the sample taken at 24 h, the time when the responding cells become determined towards one or the other morphogenic reaction. The IAA/BAP ratio was higher in the IZE induced to embryogenesis compared to those that gave rise to shoots. The effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on the morphogenic process appears to be indirect and can be explained by a modification of the IAA content.