CULTURE CONDITIONS FOR EFFICIENT INDUCTION OF GREEN PLANTS FROM ISOLATED MICROSPORES OF BARLEY

Subculture regime and carbohydrate concentration of the medium had a m arked effect on the regeneration of green plantlets from mechanically isolated microspores of Hordeum vulgare L. cv Kymppi. A sevenfold incr ease in the yield of green plants was obtained by shortening the suspe nsion culture time of the developing proembryo mass from 4 to 3 weeks. A further twofold increase was obtained by increasing the maltose con centration of the microspore isolation medium and of the culture mediu m. Under optimal conditions, a mean of 169 +/- 97 green plants per spi ke were regenerated.