Changes in the levels of abscisic acid and its glucose ester conjugate during maturation of hybrid larch (Larix × leptoeuropaea) somatic embryos, in relation to germination and plantlet recovery

Changes in abscisic acid content during maturation of hybrid larch somatic embryos ( Larix × leptoeuropaea ), were followed using an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). In the presence of 60 μ M cis-trans (±)-ABA in the maturation medium, the cis-trans (±)-ABA level of the somatic embryos in planta increased during the maturation phase to reach a maximum value at week 5. Concomitantly, an extension of the period of maturation from 3 to 4 and 5 weeks resulted in a significant decrease in both germination and plantlet frequencies. As a consequence, we assume that it was the level of ABA in planta that was responsible for the inhibition. ABA acted in both a stimulatory and an inhibitory manner. If ABA promoted the obtention of high quality somatic embryos in large numbers, it also had a deleterious effect on the subsequent development, i.e. germination and plantlet recovery. The results stressed the importance of both the procedure and duration of maturation.