EFFECT OF MICROSPORE STAGE AND MEDIA ON ANTHER CULTURE OF PEANUT (ARACHIS-HYPOGAEA-L)

This study was designed to study the effects of stage of microspore development and culture medium on androgenic response in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Anthers of various developmental stages were cultured for 7 days, then fixed and observed cytologically. Three sets of media, involving different basal media, growth regulators, sucrose levels and glutamine concentrations, were tested. In all experiments, the stage of development of the microspores at the time of culture was highly significant. The early uninucleate microspores stage was identified as producing the highest anther response rating. The effect of media was nonsignificant in all experiments. However, the stepwise modification of the media through the course of the study resulted in an almost 8 x increase in anther response rating. Numerically, the best media tested was N6 basal medium with 1 mg l-1 NAA, 0.1 mg l-1 BA, 5.5 % sucrose, and 3.5 g l-1 glutamine. While no haploids were obtained, four-nucleate cells were observed, indicating the potential in peanuts for an androgenic response.