Somatic Embryogenesis in Olive

Abstract

The olive is a fruit tree species economically very important in countries of the Mediterranean basin. Somatic embryogenesis is a powerful in vitro technique with multiple uses in different fields, including breeding programs performed by both classical and innovative procedures. Thus, somatic embryogenesis enables the application of biotechnological methods such as genetic transformation, somaclonal variation, somatic hybridization, germplasm cryopreservation, in vitro mutagenesis or in vitro selection. This editorial paper presents a special issue focused on “Somatic embryogenesis in olive”. In this manuscript, the conceptual framework of the special issue is established and the contributions are summarized and put into context. Finally, the main bottlenecks limiting the practical applicability of somatic embryogenesis in this species are identified and the future research prospects are discussed.