ABSTRACT
Melon, also known as cantaloupe or muskmelon, has been diversified through breeding and selection into hundreds of cultivars. Melon is an ideal subject for demonstrating somatic embryogenesis, since explants can be obtained from commercially available seeds and the culture system is simple and rapid. This chapter demonstrates the development of somatic embryos of a dicotyledonous species. It investigates the effects of differences in explants and genotypes on the frequency of somatic embryogenesis. In melon, the predominance of embryogenesis occurs only from certain regions of specific embryonic organs. Embryogenesis in melon is genotype dependent. Relatively high or low embryogenic responses occur depending on the genotype used. Because of the rapidity and high frequency of the embryogenic response exhibited by melon, it provides a perfect system for studying somatic embryo development. In addition, this system allows all stages of embryogenesis to be followed dynamically, which is not possible with zygotic embryogenesis due to the presence of obscuring seed integuments.
