Genotypic effects on somatic embryognesis and plant regeneration from callus cultures of alfalfa

Fifty genotypes of each of three cultivars of alfalfa (Medicago spp.) were tested in three medium protocols for their capacity to produce somatic embryos and plantlets from callus cultures. Highly productive genotypes produced somatic embryos regardless of medium protocol or explant source, while other genotypes produced somatic embryos in a medium-specific or explant-specific fashion. The results showed that embryogenesis in mature leaf-derived calli could be predicted from the frequency of embryo formation in cotyledon-derived calli of the same genotype. The results also indicated that highly productive genotypes can be selected from cultivars with a low frequency of regeneration.