The objective of the present work was to adjust the macronutrient, micronutrient and vitamin concentrations of the Murashige & Tucker (MT) culture medium in order to promote the germination of ´Cleopatra´ Tangerine immature embryos, smaller than 3 mm. Seeds from fruits, 4 to 5 months after anthesis, in which the embryos do not germinate in recently indicated culture media for citrus, were used. Initially, the embryos were cultivated in basic culture medium containing sucrose and agar, followed by a sequence of steps, carrying out the adjustments of the normal concentration of macronutrients (1/1, ½ and ¼), micronutrients (1/1, ½, ¼ and 1/1, 3/2, 2/1) and vitamins (2/1, 1/1 e ½) of the MT medium. The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial scheme 3 (concentrations of MT) x 4 (embryo size), with 10 repetitions. The following variables were evaluated thirty days after embryo inoculation in culture medium: percentage of germination, percentage of normal plantlets and plantlet length. The best results were obtained using half the normal concentration of macronutrients, whereas the concentrations of micronutrients and vitamins remained unaltered.
Citrus reshni hort. ex Tanaka; embryo rescue; tissue culture
