Field performance of selected Malaysian cocoa clones regenerated through somatic embryogenesis cultures

Gibson, Anak Entuni and Rebicca, Anak Edward @ May and Hollena, Anak Nori and Ahmad Kamil, Bin Mohd Jaafar (2018) Field performance of selected Malaysian cocoa clones regenerated through somatic embryogenesis cultures. Malaysian Applied Biology, 47 (1). pp. 97-102. ISSN 0126-8643

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Abstract

Somatic embryogenesis is one of an efficient in vitro clonal propagation technologies with potential to be used to mass propagate cocoa clones in Malaysia. To ensure this technology for commercial production of cocoa across Malaysia can be applied, field performance of somatic embryogenesis-derived cocoa plants were evaluated for one year in Malaysian Cocoa Board, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia (MCB). Twenty-five cocoa plants derived from immature zygotic embryo and 25 cocoa plants derived from staminode explants of Trinitario variety were successfully propagated and acclimatized in greenhouse condition in UNIMAS before planted in field condition in MCB. Twenty-five mother plants from the same variety propagated through grafting were planted and used as control plants. At one year after planting, there were no major differences in growth parameters between somatic embryogenesis-derived plants with mother plants. Cocoa trees from immature zygotic embryo were slightly taller (998.1 mm), exhibit larger average stem diameters (34.6 mm) and taller jorquette branches (850.5 mm) than cocoa trees propagated through staminode cultures and grafting. After one year of field test, it can be concluded that somatic embryo-derived cocoa plants showed normal phenotypes and have growth parameters similar to cocoa plants propagated through conventional method of grafting.

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