Improving loblolly pine somatic embryo maturation: comparison of somatic and zygotic embryo morphology, germination, and gene expression

Clonal production of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) through somatic embryogenesis has the potential to meet the increasing industrial demands for high-quality uniform raw materials. A major barrier to the commercialization of this technology is the low quality of the resulting embryos. Twenty-five newly initiated loblolly pine genotypes were followed through the process of liquid culture establishment, embryo maturation, germination, and...