Recent advances in the biotechnology of Agave: a cell approach

Since ancient times agaves have been important plants for human beings in continental North American. Nowadays, their use and economical importance is present in many countries worldwide. Unique botanic features of the genus Agave such as a long life span make these plants difficult to perform a plant breeding program. Plant biotechnology offers several cellular alternatives to achieve a desired genetic improvement in relatively short periods of time. In vitro somatic embryogenesis is one of the most important biotechnological tools based on the totipotency of the plant cells. It is now known that there are some basic requirements for the conversion of plant cells to plants through somatic embryos: cell polarity and asymmetric cell division as it normally occurs in zygotic embryogenesis. Here the production of somatic embryos as well as the production of haploid and triploid plants from different types of cells are revised, described and discussed. Also, the practical use of somatic embryos for the production of pathogen resistant plants of Agave tequilana Weber var. azul is described and discussed.