IN-OVARY EMBRYO CULTURE AS A TOOL FOR POPLAR HYBRIDIZATION

We report here the development of an easy in vitro method for culturin g Populus sp. embryos. Half-capsules were cultured in an agar medium w ith Murashige and Skoog inorganic salts and sucrose. Embryos germinate d in the half-capsule and were subcultured in jars before being transf erred to the greenhouse. Twenty-one different intra- and inter-specifi c crosses were successful, with 89% of plantlets successfully acclimat ized in greenhouse.