IN-VITRO ANTHER CULTURE RESPONSE IN INDICA RICE HYBRIDS

In vitro anther culture (AC) response of thirty hybrids (F-1) of salt- tolerant and susceptible varieties was studied on N-6, B-5 and MS with varying concentrations of auxins and cytokinins. In most crosses, 2,4 -D (mostly 2 mg(-1)) with a low level of kinetin was superior in induc ing androgenic calli. Thirteen hybrids did not produce calli reaffirmi ng that AC response is largely genotype dependent. Callus-producing ab ility was 0.83-8.40%. Average numbers of calli were 1.60-4.50 per resp onding anther. 19-36 days were required for callus initiation. Plant r egeneration percentage ranged from 28.56-72.60. MS media with differen t concentrations of kinetin and BAP was superior in plantlet regenerat ion. Albinos (0-100%) were abundant among the regenerants. With such l ow callus-forming and plant regeneration abilities, producing 150 doub le haploid (DH) lines (minimum for effective field selection) seems to be difficult. This warrants large scale experimentation utilising non conventional, innovative techniques.