SIMPLIFIED AND NONSTERILE TECHNIQUE FOR T HE CULTIVATION OF IMMATURE EMBRYOS OF SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS-ANNUUS)

A simplified technique for the culture of immature embryos of sunflowe r (Helianthus annuus) is presented. This technique does not use the st erile in vitro method usually applied to the culture of immature sunfl ower embryos. Immature embryos are first placed on a filter paper imbi bed with a commercial nutritive solution and then directly transferred to compost at the chlorophyllian stage of cotyledons. All these opera tions are achieved under nonsterile conditions. This quite simple proc ess provides more vigorous plants, with increased seed production and a complete vegetation cycle which is shorter than that observed with t he classical in vitro method.