PRODUCTION OF DOUBLED-HAPLOID PLANTS FROM LILIUM-LONGIFLORUM THUNB ANTHER CULTURE

The effects of different media, light conditions, and pretreatments by cold, and by centrifugation were evaluated on Lilium longiflorum Thun b. anther culture. A high percentage of responding anthers was achieve d with N6 medium, by cold pretreatment and under dark conditions. Call us induction was promoted under darkness, but was inhibited by light. Anthers from flower buds between 30 and 46 mm in length containing ear ly- and mid-uninucleated microspores produced callus. A total of 132 p lantlets with bulblet and leaves were regenerated. Among anther-callus regenerated plants no albino or morphological variant was observed. T he presence of both haploid and diploid cells. in the same root tip of regenerated plants indicated that chromosome doubling may have occurr ed spontaneously. Microscopic observation of microspores from cultured anthers showed the presence of multicellular grains at various stages . These observations suggested that microspore-derived plants were pro duced by the androgenesis process. This fact was confirmed by isozyme analysis. The potential use of doubled-haploid (DH) plants from anther culture in relation to cultivar improvement in L. longiflorum Thunb. is discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.