Resumen

KESSEL, Argelys. Aplicación de técnicas biotecnológicas en frutales, una vía valiosa para el rescate y la conservación de estas especies. cultrop [online]. 2008, vol.29, n.3, pp. 27-37. ISSN 0258-5936.

Fruits constitute the most important foods among natural vegetables. They along with garden crops provide a lot of vitamins and minerals; thus, they should be present in every meal. Fruits are used as CO2 reservoir, in biodiversity increment and ecological compensation areas; besides, they are appreciated for fresh consumption, juices and pulps. In Cuba, there are favorable edaphoclimatic conditions for fruit tree growth and development; however, a large number of them appear at the top of the list of threatened species in our country, so that urgent measurements of preservation and management should be taken into account. Biotechnology may help increase and improve fruit tree production; this technology enables to obtain a high-yielding material. Also, tissue culture has given a great support to agriculture and constitutes a fundamental approach in the scientific-technological activity; consequently, the application of in vitro propagation techniques to fruit trees is a valuable way to multiply, rescue and preserve these species.

Palabras clave : tissue culture; plant propagation; culture techniques; plant biotechnology; fruit crops.