Somatic Embryogenesis and Plant Regeneration in Picea Omorika

Abstract

The genus Picea comprises more than 40 species, most of which are confined to the northern hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. Serbian spruce, Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk. is a Tertiary, relic species endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. It is believed to have originated from Tertiary ancestors, once widely distributed over Central Europe. After the Quaternary glaciations, its residual descendants in isolated shelters of the Balcan Peninsula. The natural habitat of P. omorika has further been reduced by human factors and presently occupies about 60 ha (Burschel, 1965). The tree can be found in an altitudinal range of 300’1700 m. It resides altogether in 30 small enclaves, distributed along the central part of the Drina River, and comprises about 20 smaller localities in Serbia and 10 in Bosnia, (Fukarek, 1951). Serbian spruce usually forms pure stands on limestone cliffs and slopes exposed to the north, but it is also found in a mixed stand with beech (Fagus moesiaca), fir (Abies alba), spruce (Picea excelsa) and pine (Pinus sylvestris, P. nigra). A small, native, community of Serbian spruce is also located on a flat, deep, swampy soil, in a mixture with beech, fir, and spruce on Mount Tara, Serbia (čolić & Gigov, 1958). Recent studies indicate that P. omorika can be grown in a much wider ecological range than previously presumed (Tucović & Isajev, 1983). When introduced to the northern European countries, it has a growth rate often higher than that of some of the native species.