PLANT-REGENERATION FROM PROTOPLASTS OF WHEAT (TRITICUM-AESTIVUM CV HARTOG)

Morphologically normal green plants have reproducibly been regenerated from protoplasts of an Australian wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Hartog). The protoplasts were isolated from fine embryogenic suspension cultures which were initiated from embryogenic callus. Protoplasts were incubated in a modified liquid MS medium containing half strength of the macroelements, 5-mu-M 2,4-D and 0.6 M glucose. Colonies were formed at frequencies ranging from 0.1% to 5%. The frequency of colonies forming fully developed plants varied between 1% and 25 %. More than eighty green plants with morphologically normal shoots and roots have been obtained and there was no difficulty in establishing these plants in soil. A cytological study of several randomly selected regenerated plants showed the normal chromosome complement for wheat (2n = 42).