Initiation and propagation of Glycine max L. Merr.: Plants from tissue-cultured epicotyls

A successful technique for the initiation and proliferation of shoots from epicotyl tissue of soybean, Glycine max, has been developed and is described. Fertile plants were recovered. Seeds were germinated on Murashige and Skoog medium containing 5 μM benzyladenine. Explanted epicotyl sections were induced to form callus and shoots on Schenk and Hildebrandt medium containing 5.2 mM monobasic ammonium phosphate, 74 μM 3-aminopyridine, and 20 μM kinetin for five weeks. Shoot proliferation was maintained on N6 medium containing 1.75 mM ammonium sulfate, 2.1 nM picloram, and 0.1 μM benzyladenine. Shoots rooted on Gamborg's B5 medium without growth regulators. Shoot-forming cultures were maintained for 60 months. Although all varieties tested produced shoots, some variation in numbers of shoots obtained was observed.