<span name="style_bold">Effect of callus age on the induction of coffee cell suspension cultures. </span>The investigation was developed in the Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding from the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences (INCA), La Habana, Cuba, from 2002 to 2004, to evaluate the behavior of cells suspensions of three <span name="style_italic">Coffea canephora </span>P. var. Robusta genotypes. Seven callus ages (15, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 days) were evaluated to find the age most appropriate for culture establishment in liquid medium. Different culture media were evaluated for cell multiplication, MMC-1 with 0.2 mg/l Kinetin and 0.5 mg/l 2,4-D (control) and MMC-2 where 2,4-D was substituted by 0.7 mg/l of an auxin extract of bacterial origin. The effects of these factors on the time of callus disaggregation, coloration of the cell suspension, and concentration of total and meristematic cells were determined. The optimum age of callus for the induction of cell suspension was 28-35 days, given the higher number of cells, disaggregation speed and good coloration of the cell suspension. The best results were obtained with the medium MMC-2 for cell multiplication.P. var. Robusta genotypes. Seven callus ages (15, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 days) were evaluated to find the age most appropriate for culture establishment in liquid medium. Different culture media were evaluated for cell multiplication, MMC-1 with 0.2 mg/l Kinetin and 0.5 mg/l 2,4-D (control) and MMC-2 where 2,4-D was substituted by 0.7 mg/l of an auxin extract of bacterial origin. The effects of these factors on the time of callus disaggregation, coloration of the cell suspension, and concentration of total and meristematic cells were determined. The optimum age of callus for the induction of cell suspension was 28-35 days, given the higher number of cells, disaggregation speed and good coloration of the cell suspension. The best results were obtained with the medium MMC-2 for cell multiplication.

Coffea canephora; Robusta; bacterial extract; 2,4-D; meristematic cells