The process of plant somatic embryogenesis allows the acquisition of a large number of genetically identical individuals. That fact is used in practice to obtain a rich progeny from a minimal number of seeds. At the same time, somatic embryogenesis is an ideal system for studying the early stages of plant development. Somatic embryogenesis begins with the induction of embryogenic cultures, primarily from zygotic embryos. Embryogenic cultures are cultivated in vitro on precisely defined media, whose composition determines further development of somatic embryos. In conifers, the process consists of five basic steps: induction of embryogenic culture, proliferation, maturation of somatic embryos, desiccation, and germination.
In the Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds, we use somatic embryogenesis in spruce and fir as a model for coniferous development. At the beginning of our work with embryogenic cultures, we focused mainly on the methodology of their cultivation, and we have optimised the procedures for the individual stages of somatic embryogenesis. Subsequently, we focused on the regulation of somatic embryo development. We have determined changes in endogenous levels of auxins, ABA and cytokinins in relation to the developmental stage of embryos. We have described the anatomical changes occurring during the development of embryos, and have also studied the role of the cytoskeleton in the development of somatic embryos. We have verified the feasibility of cryopreservation of embryogenic cultures. In recent years, we have been studying the influence of stress factors on the course of somatic embryogenesis, particularly in relation to changes in the levels of polyamines and phenolic compounds. We have also studied the role of autophagy in somatic embryo development. In the recent project, we focused on the effect of novel topolin-type cytokinins on the spruce somatic embryogenesis.
Photographs documenting our work with somatic embryos of conifers are available in the Gallery.