SCREENING FOR IN-VITRO SHOOT-FORMING CAPACITY OF SEEDLING EXPLANTS INBELL PEPPER (CAPSICUM-ANNUUM-L) GENOTYPES AND EFFICIENT PLANT-REGENERATION USING THIDIAZURON

In vitro shoot regeneration ability of 17 (7 Italian and 10 Hungarian) bell pepper genotypes was investigated using excised cotyledons and r ooted hypocotyls as explants. Most of the Italian genotypes and two of the Hungarian genotypes responded well, producing shoots from rooted hypocotyls. Only two genotypes (one Italian and one Hungarian) gave a weak response using cotyledons. For direct shoot induction in these ex plants, in addition to the methods cited in the relevant papers, a new method was applied using thidiazuron as a cytokinin. Shoots were succ essfully regenerated from cotyledons of two Italian and two Hungarian genotypes using thidiazuron which were considered to be non responsive to the usual methods.