PLANT-REGENERATION FROM PROTOPLASTS OBTAINED FROM MESOPHYLL LEAF TISSUE OF LYCOPERSICON GLANDULOSUM C. H. MULL

High yields of viable protoplasts were obtained from the mesophyll lea f tissue of young seedlings of Lycopersicon glandulosum grown in vitro at 80 mu mol s(-1)m(-2) irradiance and 23 degrees-24 degrees C. The i solated protoplasts were cultured first on a modified semiliquid mediu m of TAN et al. (1987 b), on which they formed microcalli, and afterwa rds on a greening medium consisting of MS micro/macro nutrients, Nitsc h vitamins and 0.5 mg/l BAP + 0.05 mg/l NAA. The green budding calli w ere in turn transferred to the same medium with BAP and NAA replaced b y 2.0 mg/l zeatin + 0.1 mg/l IAA, on which they developed shoots. The regenerated shoots were rooted in 1/3 MS medium without growth regulat ors, and subsequently planted into pots in the greenhouse. The whole p rocess of regeneration from the moment of protoplast isolation up to t he flowering of regenerated plants lasted similar to 6 months. The reg enerated tomatoes were morphologically identical to their parental sou rce plants.