Some Factors Influencing the In Vitro Establishment and Callusing of Anthers in Capsicum (Capsicum Annuum L. Var Grossum Sendt)

Capsicum (cv. Arka Gaurav) anthers were cultured on MS medium with various concentrations of kinetin and 2, 4-D or kinetin and 1AA under three different conditions during incubation, viz; (1) alternating cycles of light and dark (16h/8h) at 25°C (ii) continuous dark incubation at 25°C and (iii) dark incubation at 35°C for one week followed by alternating photoperiods of 16 h light/8h dark at 25°C for a period of 8 weeks. Seasonal effect was found in the establishment of axenic cultures. Callusing response was observed at 25°C while no response was obtained at 35°C incubation. Combinations of kinetin and IAA showed significantly higher percentage of callusing under continuous dark incubation than under alternate light/dark cycles. However no such difference was discernable in kinetin and 2, 4-D combinations. Cytological studies of the callus revealed a mixture of haploid and diploid cells.