ANDROGENIC RESPONSES OF WINTER WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) COMBINATIONS IN IN VITRO ANTHER CULTURE

The androgenic parameters were investigated by in vitro anther culture (AC) on nine F25 breeding combinations of winter wheat (Triticum aestivium L.). Each combination produced embryo-like structures (ELS), green plantlets, albino plantlets, transplanted plantlets and acclimatized plantlets, with respect to the number of anthers in AC. The number of AC-derived ELS was between 11.73 and 52.76 ELS/100 anthers with the mean of 26.22 ELS/100 anthers, out of which the number of regenerated green plantlets varied from 3.20 to 26.40 green plantlets/100 anthers and the mean was 9.76 green plantlets/100 anthers, while the number of transplanted plantlets ranged from 2.16 to 21.77 transplanted plantlets/100 anthers. Furthermore, the number of albinos/100 anthers was mitigated and varied between 0.72 and 6.20 albinos/100 anthers. We also studied the number of green and albino plantlets per 100 ELS. The rate of green plantlets per 100 ELS ranged between 14.81% and 64.01%, with the overall mean 33.59%, while the rate of albinos per 100 ELS ranged from 4.82% to 20.70% with the overall mean 11.93%. In our experiment, the rate of acclimatized plantlets (70.15-91.57%) depended mostly on the combination. This study asserted the importance of AC method in wheat for in vitro production of green plants. Although albinism was found in each combination, it did not hinder the production of green plantlets. The satisfying results were achieved in green plantlets production compared to the previously published data, but further improvement will be needed continuously, experiment by experiment. The generated acclimatized plantlets will be used in the wheat breeding program as doubled haploid (DH) lines.