The first step in plant transformation using somatic embryogenesis or organogenesis for plant regeneration in vitro has been the identification of genotypes with the best totipotency. Thus, the objective of this experiment was to evaluate the totipotency of ten cultivars and one soybean line from the Coodetec Gene Bank. The somatic embryos developed from immature cotyledons measuring from 4 to 6 mm in length, and the organogenesis was evaluated from mature soybean seeds. The cultivars CD 201, CD 216 and CD 220 were the most promising genotypes to produce somatic embryos, whereas the cultivar CD 217 had the highest quantity of differentiated explants, which represents the best regeneration efficiency for participating in organogenic systems. In the experiment with somatic embryogenesis, time to plant regeneration was ten months, but the plants were regenerated after only four months in the experiment with organogenesis.
Glycine max; somatic embryogenesis; organogenesis
