Clonal propagation of segregating genotypes through somatic embryogenesis from zygotic embryos in an interspecific oil palm backcross.
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Oil palm breeding programs are constrained by the reliance on sexual propagation, in which each seedling represents a unique genotype. This intrinsic genetic variability prevents the replicated evaluation of segregating genotypes across genetically comparable individuals and increases the risk of false-positive selection driven by environmental variance. In this study, we investigated whether somatic embryogenesis from zygotic embryos of an interspecific oil palm backcross (Elaeis oleifera × Elaeis guineensis) x E. guineensis could enable the production of multiple plants from a single zygotic embryo, allowing the evaluation of segregating genotypes across genetically similar individuals while maintaining genetic stability. A total of 198 zygotic embryos obtained from mature seeds of a single backcross genotype (SQ 150) were used as explants for somatic embryogenesis induction and plant regeneration. Molecular analyses were performed on 36 regenerated plants derived from three independent donor embryos using ISSR and methylation-sensitive AFLP (MSAP) markers. Differences among classes were assessed using a chi-square (χ²) test and considered significant at p < 0.05. ISSR analysis revealed high genetic similarity (97.5–100%) among regenerants derived from the same donor embryo, indicating strong intra-line genetic stability. In contrast, comparisons among regenerants originating from different donor embryos showed approximately 80% similarity, reflecting the expected genetic variability among zygotic embryos. MSAP analysis identified 357 loci, of which 69% were sensitive to DNA methylation. Epigenetic variation was mainly associated with fragment gain events (58%), indicating a predominance of genomic hypomethylation during regeneration. These results demonstrate that somatic embryogenesis from zygotic embryos can generate genetically consistent regenerants within embryogenic lines while maintaining epigenetic plasticity. This approach enables the production of multiple plants from a single zygotic embryo and supports the evaluation of segregating genotypes across genetically similar individuals, potentially improving selection accuracy in oil palm breeding programs.
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Molecular markers, MSAP, Oil palm, Palma de óleo, Elaeis Guineensis, DNA methylation, Plant breeding, Somaclonal variation, Tissue culture