In vitro anther culture of rocoto (Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.)

The rocoto ( Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.) is a crop of great importance in Peru because it is in great demand within the national gastronomy. This crop has no defined varieties or cultivars, but it is represented by two significant genotypes: Serrano and Monte. It is necessary to obtain homozygous lines to define a cultivar; for this reason, the alternative of using biotechnological tools through another culture under in vitro conditions is presented to obtain homozygous individuals. Nevertheless, the response of another culture depends on each genotype understudy, and it is necessary to establish a basis for the establishment and generation of somatic embryos from rocoto anthers. For the reasons described above, the present research aimed to induce somatic embryos from in vitro culture of rocoto anthers. Flower buds of the Serrano genotype were used to determine the flower bud stage with the highest percentage of uninucleated microspores and determine the treatment with the highest percentage of disinfection in rocoto flower buds, and determine the treatment that allows the induction of somatic embryos from rocoto anthers. The IR4 group of flower buds presented the highest percentage of microspores in the uninucleate stage with 81.3%. Treatment D4 achieved the highest disinfection of flower buds with 89.01%. A total of 18.27% of anthers with somatic embryo formation were obtained using treatment T2.