ANDROGENIC EMBRYOS OBTAINED BY ANTHER CUL TURE OF BRASSICA-OLERACEA (SSP ITALICA AND SSP BOTRYTIS) AND ESTIMATION OF THE VALUE OF REGENERATED MATERIAL IN PLANT-BREEDING PROGRAMS

Anther culture was undertaken on 20 broccoli and 10 cauliflower genoty pes. The androgenic embryo yield de, ended on the variety, on the geno type and on the culture medium. The best results were obtained with a liquid medium containing silver nitrate. The regeneration rate from em bryos to plantlets changed according to the embryo developmental stage at the time of subculture and according to sucrose concentration in t he medium. The ploidy level of acclimated plantlets was determined by flow cytometry of nuclei and showed early polyploidization dependent o n donor genotype. In general, the diploid lines derived from this work give very low seed yields compared with the lines derived from classi cal selection methods. The interest of utilizing anther culture in the creation of lines for broccoli and cauliflower breeding programs is d iscussed.