A review of forest trees micropropagation and its current status in Korea

Plant micropropagation techniques include bud cultures using apical or axillary buds, organogenesis through callus culture or adventitious bud induction, and somatic embryogenesis. In Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI), the first tissue culture trial in woody plant was initiated from the bud culture of hybrid poplars (Populus alba x P. glandulosa) in 1978. Since then several mass propagation techniques have developed from conifer and hardwood species, resulting in allowing practical application to Poplars, Birches and some oak species. In addition, useful micropropagation and genetic resources conservation techniques were established in some rare and endangered tree species including Abeliophyllum distichum. Among various in vitro propagation techniques, somatic embryogenesis is known to be the most efficient plant regeneration system. Since the first somatic embryo induction was reported in Tilia amurensis by KFRI in 1986, various protocols for direct or indirect somatic embryogenesis systems have developed in conifer and hardwood species including Larix leptolepis, Pinus rigida x P. taeda F1, Kalopanax septemlobus and Liliodendron tulipifera, etc. However, most of these technologies have been developed using juvenile tissues, i.e. immature zygotic embryos or mature embryos. Therefore it has been difficult to directly application to tree breeding program due to their unproven genetic background. Recently remarkable progresses and new approaches have been achieved in mature tree somatic embryogenesis. In this article we reviewed several micropropagation techniques, which have been mainly developed by KFRI and recent international progresses.

국내 임목류 기내증식 연구현황 및 전망