Cheliak, W.M.Klimaszewska, K.2014-07-072014-07-071991Theor Appl Genet (1991) 82:185-190http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/3786Zygotic embryos from open-polIinated seeds of 20 black spruce (Pice a mariana) families were used to investigate the proportion of genotypes that would give rise to embryogenic tissue (ET) and mature somatic em­bryos. Eighty five percent of the maternal genotypes gave rise to embryogenic tissue Within-family rates of ET induction ranged from 0 to 17%, with an average of 8%. The largest proportion of variation was among families, indicating the additive nature of the genetic variation. On a medium with 6% sucrose and 3.7 microM ABA, 90% of the embryogenic lines gave rise to abundant (> 100/100 mg of ET), well-formed, mature somatic embryos. A medium with 2% sucrose, without 2,4-D, was used to germinate the mature somatic embryos. These were grown in the greenhouse and have now been estab­fished in field trials.enSomatic embryogenesisPicea marianaBiotechnologyArticle