Production of androgenetic barley doubled haploid lines

Abstract

Anther culture allows obtention of homozygous lines in one generation instead of seven required by conventional breeding programs. In barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) this technique is well-established, but response is greatly influenced by genotype and growing conditions of donor plants. Therefore, an important goal is to adapt media and methods, aiming to satisfy the specific requirements of every material one has been working with. In this paper androgenetic capacity of F₁ hybrids is evaluated and an efficient protocol for regeneration of barley doubled haploids is established in order to make possible their utilization in breeding programs. Two culture media, modified N6 and MS, were employed for induction of androgenesis. Frequency of responsive anthers, green plant regeneration, albinism, and spontaneous doubling were evaluated. Results show that average percentage of responsive anthers was greater in N6 (30.32%) than in MS (6.39%) medium. There was a considerable influence of the genotype for all traits. A total of 192 doubled haploid lines were obtained from different crosses. These lines set seed and were multiplied for agronomic testing in the field.