Allelic diversity is a fundamental requirement for successful plant breeding programs. When gene pool is limited, several mechanisms are available for variability enrichment, for example, obtaining somaclonal variants through in vitro techniques. Somaclonal variation is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the procedures of plant tissue culture, through is possible to recover mutants with or without adaptive advantages. When this phenomenon is used to generate mutants with specific traits, through the use of an agent of artificial selection, the process is called in vitro selection. When looking for generating plant material that is resistant/tolerant to diseases, the agent of choice may be the causative organism, its parts, or its metabolic products, including toxins. Considerations of cost, simplicity and efficiency, make this technique particularly suitable for developing countries. In this paper, we review the scientific basis underpinning this method.
keywords:
In vitro selection, Plant disease resistance, Plant tissue culture, Somaclonal variation