Unraveling the occurrence of hyperhydricity in oil palm somatic embryos during somatic embryogenesis process.

The propagation of oil palm through somatic embryogenesis is the most effective method of cloning this palm tree; however, in vitro cultivation can lead to abnormalities in plant tissue, such as hyperhydricity. The present study aimed to evaluate the difference in anatomical, morphological, and histochemical characteristics, and gene expression in normal (Nm) and hyperhydric (Hh) somatic embryos of oil palm. For this purpose, Nm and Hh somatic embryos were collected from the differentiation medium and were submitted to anatomical and histochemical analyses to assess the nucleus/cytoplasm ratio (toluidine blue), starch (Lugol), and proteins (XP), as well as ultrastructural analyses via transmission electron microscopy.