The effect of the explant position on the donor plant, illumination and explant pretreatment with high cytokinin concentrations on the induction, proliferation and development of somatic embryos from young, fully expanded leaves of chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was investigated. Explants were cultured either directly on a solid Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 9 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid + 12.9 μM 6-benzyladenine or incubated for 24 h in a liquid MS medium containing the cytokinin at a tenfold concentration (129 μM) and then transferred to the solid MS medium.