PLANT-REGENERATION FROM PROTOPLAST FUSION IN PASSIFLORA SPP

Protoplasts were isolated from leaf explants of Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa (the yellow passion fruit) and from cell suspensions of five Passiflora species. Chemical fusion was performed using polyethylene glycol and the microcolonies obtained were transferred to growth medium to produce calli. Electrophoresis of soluble proteins and analysis of isoenzymes from calli produced from the fusion experiments were performed to select somatic hybrids. Specific polypeptide bands allowed the identification of somatic hybrids between P. edulis var. flavicarpa (+) P. alata, P. edulis var. flavicarpa (+) P. amethystina, P. edulis var. flavicarpa (+) P. cincinnata, P. edulis var. flavicarpa (+) P. giberti and P. edulis var. flavicarpa (+) P. coccinea. An average of 3 to 5% hybrid calli were obtained. With the exception of the P. edulis var. flavicarpa (+) P. coccinea, whole plants were recovered from all hybrids. These somatic hybrids showed 4n=36 chromosomes, which represents a further evidence of their hybridity.