In vitro regeneration of soybean plants of the Cuban Incasoy-36 variety

An effi cient and reproducible plant regeneration procedure is essential for introducing genes of interest in important crops through genetic transformation. However, some crops, such as soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], are diffi cult to manipulate in vitro, often depending on their genotype, and the reproduction of the established protocols is not always possible. The purpose of this paper is the optimization of a regeneration protocol for soybean shoots of the Cuban variety Incasoy-36 to enable its reproduction. Cotyledonary nodes of mature seeds were the explants of choice to promote regeneration under specifi c culture conditions. The effect of several concentrations of benzylaminopurine on shoot induction was evaluated and it was demonstrated that the age of explants is essential for regeneration. Shoot formation was increased with 1.5 mg/L of benzylaminopurine, producing a regeneration frequency of 96.8 % and 4.3 shoots in explants with a 6 day germination period. The elongation of shoots, as well as rooting occurred in an MSB5 medium without hormones. Regenerated plantlets were obtained 7-8 weeks after the start of the culture and they were morphologically similar to plants of this variety.