PRODUCTION OF HAPLOIDS IN ANCIENT, LOCAL AND MODERN WHEAT BY ANTHER CULTURE AND MAIZE POLLINATION

Our study involved the first-ever evaluation of the performance of anther culture and wheat x maize hybridization techniques in producing haploids or doubled haploids as a result of spontaneous doubling of the chromosome number during androgenesis in plants from 30 wheat genotypes including ancient, local and modern types. The results indicated that the best induction rates of androgenic structures and haploid embryos for the hexaploid and tetraploid wheat genotypes were obtained with anther culture and wheat x maize hybridization, respectively. Whereas only one regenerated plant from 15 genotypes of tetraploid wheat was obtained, 13 plants were regenerated from 15 genotypes of hexaploid wheat. Moreover, haploid embryos obtained in wheat x maize hybridization 60 and 100% green plants regenerated in relation to the number of the cultured haploid embryos. Genotypes with high induction capacity to produce androgenic structure or haploid embryos did not have desired haploid plantlets regeneration capacity and vice-versa. However, with both methods, hexaploid wheat genotypes had a considerable ability to produce green plants. Doubled haploid plants were obtained from ancient and local wheat genotypes by both methods, but not from modern wheat. Those genotypes can be used as parents in future wheat breeding programs and new varieties may be obtained by selecting pure lines in wheat populations.