COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGICAL-STUDIES OF MICROSPORE DERIVED AND F2-PLANTS OBTAINED FROM AN INTERSPECIFIC RICE HYBRID (ORYZA-SATIVA LINN BY O RUFIPOGON-GRIFF)

Anther culture of an interspecific rice hybrid from a cross of Oryza sativa x O. rufipogon was attempted. Of the 117 regenerated pollen clones, 56 could survive to maturity. A majority of these were either haploids or doubled haploids and very few turned out to be chromosomal variants. Comparative study of doubled haploids and the seed-derived F2 plants indicate the distinct advantages of anther culture techniques. (1) Androgenic plants, though few in number, showed greater variation for all the traits with the exception of ear bearing tillers. (2) Predominance of recombinants with wild traits was observed in F2 segregation. (3) It was possible to recover indica type recombinants among the anther-derived plants with one or two traits introgressed from O. rufipogon. These results suggest the feasibility and utility of anther culture in distant hybridization for incorporation of alien variation into cultivated rice.