In-vitro culture of fertilized embryo sacs of maize: Zygotes and two-celled proembryos can develop into plants

Authors:

• Rafał Mól,
• Elisabeth Matthys-Rochon,
• Christian Dumas

Abstract

Fertilized embryo sacs of Zea mays L. surrounded by a few layers of nucellar cells were cultured in vitro. Primary expiants contained zygotes or twocelled proembryos. Embryos of various sizes and shapes were isolated from 12-48% of explants after two weeks of culture in hormone-free media supplemented with 6-12% of sucrose. Many embryos were at the transition or proembryo stages whilst the rest were either differentiated, with a scutellum, a coleoptile and a shoot apex, or had a deformed apical part. Organogenesis started in 36-89% of embryos cultured on a semisolid medium supplemented with coconut water. Most of the embryos formed only roots but up to 9% of embryos regenerated into plants. This simple method leads the way to plant regeneration from in-vitro-manipulated zygotes or proembryos of maize. © 1993 Springer-Verlag.