STM Article Repository

Biochemical and molecular analyses were carried out at the sequential stages of somatic embryogenesis in Santalum album to understand whether the developmental anomalies have any genetic basis. The internodes collected from sandal trees of Marayoor provenance, Kerala, India were used as explants. Somatic embryos developed asynchronously and germinated precociously. Approximately twenty percent of the embryos were converted to normal plantlets. Different sequential stages of somatic embryogenesis viz. compact callus, friable callus, embryo induction, embryo maturation and fully developed embryos. Remarkable degree of heterogeneity observed in RAPD profiles at different stages provided evidence for the culture-induced variations at the DNA level.