Effect of Cold Pre Treatment on Callogenesis of Selected Indica Rice Genotypes Via Anther Culture

Abstract

Indica rice varieties are highly recalcitrant to anther culture. Androgenesis results in homozygous progeny from a heterozygous parent in a single generation and provides excellent material for research, plant breeding and plant transformation. Physical, chemical treatments given to flower buds or anthers prior to culture can be highly inductive to the development of pollen into plants. The most significant is cold pre treatment and is genotypic dependent. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum cold pre treatment duration required for anther culture in selected Indica ricevarieties. Genotypes of BG 379-2, BW 267-3, Kahata wee, and AT 362 varieties were selected for the study based on their yield and other desirable characters such as grain quality, tolerance to iron toxicity, resistance to pest and disease which are sufficient for rice breeding programmes. Panicles of these varieties were cold pre treated at 10°C for 6-12 days and anthers were cultured in agar solidified N6 medium supplemented with 2.0 mg / 1 2-4 D, 0.5 mg/1 kinetin and 2.5 mg/1 NAA. The highest callus induction frequency (4.09) was observed in At 362 while the least was recorded in Kahata wee. The effect of variety and cold pre treatment was significant (p<0.05) for the callus induction frequency. Cold pre treatment for 7 days at 10 °C had the highest callus induction frequency in genotypes of Kahata wee, BG379-2, BW 267-3 and AT 362 had highest callus development in 12 days was found to be most effective for anther culture in experimental genotypes used in the study