ABSTRACT. The goal of this project was to evaluate the embryogenic callus induction of two Coffea arabica clones selected for their characteristics of rust resistance and high yield, as well as to compare their multiplication in two different media under both solid and liquid cultivation conditions. The protocol described by Teixeira et al. (2004) was used for callus induction in a randomized block design in which each clone was considered a treatment. Evaluation of callus induction was carried out 180 days after initiation by counting embryogenic calli. For callus multiplication, the treatments consisted of two different media [stage two of Albarran et al. (2004) and the multiplication medium described by Teixeira et al. (2004)] and two cultivation systems (solid and liquid). Evaluations were conducted by weighing calli 21, 42 and 63 days after initiation of the experiment. The two studied clones exhibited the same potential for embryogenic callus induction. The potential for embryogenic callus multiplication was influenced by the plant's genotype. When compared with the liquid system, the solid system displayed the highest level of embryogenic callus multiplication for the clones studied.

Three experiments were carried out with the objective of achieving high effectiveness in calli induction from high heterozygosis leaf explants of Coffea arabica through indirect somatic embryogenesis. A randomized-block design in a 2x5 factorial arrangement made up of two media [BOXTEL & BERTHOULY (1996) and TEIXEIRA et al. (2004)] and five C. arabica genotypes were used in the first experiment. In the second experiment the embryogenic calli production potential was evaluated in ten genotypes. Each of them was considered as a treatment. In the third experiment the variations in both 2.4-D (2.5 e 20µM) and 2-iP (2.5 e 20µM) concentrations in TEIXEIRA et al. (2004) medium and secondary media were evaluated. Crops were kept in a growth room under darkness, at 25±2oC. The medium described by TEIXEIRA et al (2004) was found to be superior when compared to that described by BOXTEL & BERTHOULY (1996) in the 2.2 and 7.2 genotypes. An opposite behavior was noticed in 4.2 genotype, that is, BOXTEL & BERTHOULY (1996) had medium superiority. Both 3.0 and 5.0 genotypes had the same behavior in both media studied, which shows that the somatic embryo production depends on the genotype. Calli induction depends on the 2-iP and 2.4 D ratio. The 20.0µM of 2.4-D and 20.0µM of 2-iP combination caused the highest embryogenic calli induction rate.

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