Callus induction and somatic embryogenesis in carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) from ovule culture

Embryogenic calli formed from fertilized ovules of carob dissected from small legumes (20-25 mm in length) when cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium supplemented with sucrose (150mM), malt extract (500 mg l(-1)) and 6-benzylaminopurine (13.3 mu M). Nonaberrant somatic embryos formed when those calli were cultured onto MS medium supplemented with 85mM sucrose and 0.45 mu M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Upon transfer into half-strength MS medium supplemented with sucrose (60mM) and indole-3-butyric acid (10 mu M), these embryos germinated into plantlets. AII attempts to induce embryogenic callus from unfertilized ovules were unsuccessful.