Androgenesis Efficiency in Anther Culture of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

The frequency of obtained androgenic plants depends highly on the genotype, therefore the low rate of androgenic embryo recovery limits the utility of anther culture in pepper breeding. In the present study, the effect of genotype of induced androgenesis in in vitro anther culture of 21 different pepper genotypes was investigated. The aim of this study was establishment of effective in vitro technology for induction of embryogenesis in pepper anther culture; development of the embryos into regenerants; successful adaptation and acclimatization of regenerants from sterile to greenhouse conditions and future study of androgenic plant regenerants. The anthers were cultured according to the method developed by Dumas de Valux et al. (1981) where heat pre-treatment was applied. The experiment showed that the effectiveness of androgenesis depends on pepper genotype and the conditions for anther culture maintenance. The direct embryogenesis resulted in embryo formation that developed into plantlets. After successful acclimatization of the regenerants, firstly in growth chamber and after in greenhouse conditions, seed material from four pepper genotypes was collected: Piran, Kurtovska kapija SR, Zlaten medal SR and Feherozon. The collected seeds is excellent basis for further breeding processes, at cytogenetic and other molecular level research.