DOUBLED-HAPLOID PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY IN WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.): ANTHER CULTURE

Abstract

To achieve homozygosity within the shortest possible period, doubled-haploid
technology is a valuable technique to reduce the time and cost of development of new
wheat varieties. It involves in vitro development of fixed lines from the parental material;
development of each generation of progeny can be initiated before the parents have
achieved physiological maturity. The exploitation of recessive genes can be rapidly
achieved by microspore culture and anther culture via induction of sporophytic pathway
from a gametophytic pollen pathway, resulting in callus or embryoids formation. Anther
culture studies were conducted to produce haploid plants in five bread wheat genotypes
BW-2, BW-5, BW-8, BW-9, and BW-16. Two media liquid and agar-solidified with
different compositions were used to determine their effects on the induction of calli and
regeneration of green plants. The potential of callus induction was significantly higher
(82.4) in liquid culture medium as compared to agar-solidified medium (55.7) worked out
on 100 anther basis. In liquid media, calli induction ranged from 37.8% to 117%, whereas,
calli induction ranged from 39.1 to 73.6% on agar-solidified medium. The callus induction
and plant regeneration were varied among genotypes on both the media. Genotype BW-8
was more conducive for callus induction to agar medium as compared to liquid medium,
however, BW-9 showed less callus differentiation ability on both the media.