EFFECT OF PLANT-GROWTH REGULATORS ON EVOLUTION OF ETHYLENE AND METHANE BY DIFFERENT EXPLANTS OF CHICKPEA

Shoot tips, cotyledonary nodes and hypocotyls of chickpea (Cicer ariet inum L.) were grown on 3 media: plant induction medium (PIM), callus i nduction medium (CIM), and shoot induction medium (SIM). Maximum growt h and differentiation was seen in PIM, whereas minimum was observed in CIM. Shoot tips which differentiated to multiple shoots evolved negli gible amounts of ethylene. Maximum ethylene evolution was recorded by hypocotyls in PIM. Ethylene appears to have stimulatory effect on shoo t bud differentiation in cotyledonary nodes. But in hypocotyls, increa sed ethylene inhibited growth and differentiation. Calli on media cont aining only auxin (PIM) evolved significantly more ethylene, whereas t hose on media with cytokinin (SIM) evolved more methane. Callus formin g explants like cotyledonary nodes and hypocotyls evolve more ethylene than shoot tips.