Inducing chromosome doubling in anther culture in maize

摘要

Fertile corn plants are produced by culturing anthers or pollen in the presence colchicine which is added to an otherwise ordinary anther culture medium after a pre-culture phase in the absence of the colchicine. The colchicine induces doubling of the chromosome numbers in regenerated plants which would otherwise be infertile haploids. Haploid doubling provides a rapid route to homozygous parental plant lines.