Inorganic Compounds That Aid in Obtaining Somatic Embryos

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a process that allows formation of embryos from somatic cells; this biological process has different stages that first require micropropagation and conditioning of explant, and then induction, multiplication, development, and germination of somatic embryos (SoE), to obtain seedlings that will be acclimatized and grown in a greenhouse to further be cultivated in the field. Inorganic compounds are supplemented by macro- and micronutrients that can conform different culture media, and with other compounds such as a carbon source, vitamins, and plant growth regulators (PGRs), will direct the fate of the plant cells to obtain SoE that will regenerate into plants. The concentration of these inorganic compounds must be optimized, since at very high concentrations they can cause toxicity and at low concentrations they may not induce the desired response. The objective of this chapter is to describe the most significant advances in the use of inorganic elements during the different stages of SE, starting with the description of the most used basal media and later describing the use of the main studied mineral elements during establishment of SE.