Plant Tissue Cult. 5(1) : 65-73, 1995

Factors Affecting Microspore Embryogenesis in Brassica napus and Raphanus sativus

M. Abbas Ali¹, J. K. Jones and P. D. S. Caligari

Department of Agricultural Botany, University of Reading, P. O. Box 221, Whiteknights, Reading, Berks, RG6 2AS, UK

Key words: Microspore culture, Donor plants, Growth conditions, Embryolike development

Abastract

The culture of isolated microspores of Brassica napus and Raphanus sativa was successful at the late uninucleate stage of development. Microspores of B. napus responded only from plants grown in the glasshouse, whereas those of R. sativa responded only from plants grown in growth chamber. The most obvious differences between the two environments were the temperature and the light intensity. Modified Nitsch and Nitsch medium without plant growth regulators and with higher levels of mineral salts was superior for microspore response. Heart of globular embryo-like structures were obtained in B. napus, but only multicellular clumps in R. sativus, when pollen grains were incubated in the dark at temperatures of 30⁰C for 20 days and thereafter at 25⁰C for the entire duration of the experiment. In B. napus these embryo-like structures developed only at these temperatures. The agitation of cultures greatly increased the numbers of heart and globular structures in the culture of B. napus but did not improve the culture of R. sativus.

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