REGENERATION OF PROTOPLAST-DERIVED GREEN PLANTS OF KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS (POA-PRATENSIS L)

Green plants were repeatedly regenerated from suspension-derived proto plasts of Kentucky blue grass (Poa pratensis L.) cv. ''Geronimo''. One suspension was capable of donating competent protoplasts during long- term culture, i. e. 10-16 months after its establishment. The plating efficiency of the protoplasts from three different suspension lines va ried from 0.004% in the lowest up to 1.5% in the highest responding li ne, using agarose-bedding in nutrition medium devoid of nurse or feede r cultures. Green plants germinated from polyembryos, which developed from 0.4-2.7% of the protoplast-derived microcolonies. A total of 127 plants were successfully transferred to soil.