Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi 110021, India
* Corresponding author.
Protoplasts were isolated from the basal meristematic region of leaves from 6-day-old seedlings of wheat (Triticum aeati-vum). Protoplasts divided when cultured on MS medium (as agarose beads) in presence of nurse tissue. Donor seedlings when grown on BAP-supplemented MS medium were found to be considerably superior for protoplast isolation and culture than when grown on MS basal medium, in terms of protoplast viability, cell wall formation and cell division frequency. In addition, reduction of ammonium content of the culture medium, together with a dark incubation, led to a high protqplast division frequency of about 70%. Microcolonies of 10-to 12-celled stages were obtained in Trttlcum aestivum, varieties HD 2329, HD 2285, Kalyan Sona, Arjun and CPAN 1676.
microcolonies, agarose bead cultures, mesophyll protoplast, wheat (Triticum aestivum)
