Stress Modulation in Pinus spp. Somatic Embryogenesis as Model for Climate Change Mitigation: Stress Is Not Always a Problem

Abstract

Climate change is leading to higher temperatures and lower precipitation; this fact can have a negative impact on plant performance and survival. Latest findings have revealed that the conditions in which zygotic embryogenesis takes place have an impact on the adaptive capacity of the resulting plants. Somatic embryogenesis provides us a potent biotechnological tool to manipulate the physical and chemical conditions (water availability) along the process and to study their effect in the final success of the process in terms of quantity and quality of somatic plants produced. The development of somatic cells to somatic plantlets comprises three stages: induction of embryonal masses, maturation of embryogenic tissues, and conversion into somatic plants. Our experience in somatic embryogenesis in Pinus spp. enables us to explore the possibility to modulate the quality in terms of abiotic stress tolerance of somatic plants modifying environmental conditions during the initial stages of the process. Our results have shown that the modification of environmental conditions affected not only the success of the process in some species of pines but also the water use efficiency of the somatic plants after several months in ex vitro conditions. In the chapter, we will show the different responses obtained in all the stages of the somatic embryogenesis process as well as the response obtained after drought periods in plants growing in the greenhouse under ex vitro conditions.