Efficient anther culture of F-1 plants derived from Koshihikari and its related cultivars in the japonica rice

The efficiency of anther culture of Koshihikari and its related cultivars w ith high eating quality i.e., Hitomebore, Akitakomachi and Kinuhikari was i mproved by using DKN medium as basal medium in the three-step anther cultur e method. The anther culture efficiency of F-1 plants derived from crosses between these cultivars was also improved. In this culture method, a positi ve correlation was recognized between the anther culture efficiency and the coefficient of parentage of the donor plant to Koshihikari, Therefore, thi s method was an effective means for the anther culture of materials derived from crossings between cultivars related to Koshihikari, On the other hand , the results implied that F-1 pollen which has a definite genetic backgrou nd was regenerated preferentially. To examine the segregation of characteri stics both in the anther culture-derived population and F-2 population, two populations were produced from the F-1 plant derived from a cross between the long-culmed medium-ripening cultivar Koshihikari and short-culmed early -ripening cultivar Niigatawase, No significant differences were observed in the segregation of heading date or culm length between the two populations . It is concluded that the anther culture method developed in this study is a useful tool for breeding of rice by using Koshihikari and its related cu ltivars as a crossing parent.