Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Development and EvoDevo

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1648362

Indirect somatic embryogenesis of Agave maximiliana Baker

Provisionally accepted
María  Lourdes Delgado-AcevesMaría Lourdes Delgado-Aceves1Santiago  Corona-PerezSantiago Corona-Perez2José  Juvencio Castañeda-NavaJosé Juvencio Castañeda-Nava3José  Manuel Rodríguez-DomínguezJosé Manuel Rodríguez-Domínguez3Antonia  Gutiérrez-MoraAntonia Gutiérrez-Mora1*
  • 1CONACYT Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco (CIATEJ), Guadalajara, Mexico
  • 2Universidad de Guadalajara Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biologicas y Agropecuarias, Zapopan, Mexico
  • 3Centro de Investigacion y Asistencia en Tecnologia y Diseno del Estado de Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Agave maximiliana Baker is a key species in the production of the traditional mexican beverage "Raicilla." However, its slow reproductive cycle, lack of vegetative propagation, and increased commercial exploitation pose a threat to the conservation of its natural populations. This study presents, for the first time, a protocol for indirect somatic embryogenesis from zygotic embryos of A. maximiliana, as a biotechnological strategy for its mass propagation and conservation. Mature seeds were collected, and their viability was assessed using tetrazolium staining, revealing a significant loss of viability in seeds stored for more than two years. Embryonic axes were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with different concentrations of 2,4-D or picloram in combination with BAP. The highest embryogenic callus formation rates (up to 90%) were obtained with intermediate auxin concentrations, with the most effective the treatment consisting of 36.24 µM 2,4-D, 33.12 µM picloram, and 4.44 µM BAP, resulting in an embryo-forming capacity (EFC) of 20%. Histological analyses confirmed the presence of proembryogenic cell masses and somatic embryos at different developmental stages, indicating an asynchronous regenerative system. The conversion rate of embryos into viable plantlets reached up to 90%, although some abnormalities were observed, associated with high auxin concentrations. This protocol represents a valuable tool for the conservation, reforestation, and sustainable production of this endemic and economically important species.

Keywords: zygotic embryo1, viability2, callus3, somatic embryo4, auxins5, Raicilla6 Color de fuente: Rojo Con formato: Espacio Antes: Automático, Después: Automático Con formato: Fuente: Cursiva Con formato: Izquierda, Espacio Antes: 6 pto

Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 01 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Delgado-Aceves, Corona-Perez, Castañeda-Nava, Rodríguez-Domínguez and Gutiérrez-Mora. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Antonia Gutiérrez-Mora, CONACYT Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco (CIATEJ), Guadalajara, Mexico

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.