Somatic embryogenesis in guava (Psidium guajava L.): current status and future perspectives

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a highly perishable fruit crop comparable to mango owing to its high medicinal value and intense aroma. The presence of high genetic variability limits the chances of further expansion of guava improvement using biotechnological interventions. Conventional methods of guava improvement encountered with restricted achievement in progress of disease resistant varieties because of existing high genetic variability in the germplasm. There is a considerable demand for the establishment of successful and efficient regeneration protocols via somatic embryogenesis. Plants regenerated through somatic embryogenesis could be more useful than plants obtained through organogenesis because, in most cases, somatic embryos are of single-cell origin, and have a low frequency of chimeras and a high number of regenerations. This review is a snapshot of the recent status of somatic embryogenesis as a basis for expanding genetic improvement in guava for quality traits and future perspectives using advanced technologies.