Inheritance of in vitro response in wheat

The inheritance of in vitro culture response was studied by using immature embryos from five wheat cultivars and their reciprocal hybrids. In vitro culture response was evaluated according to callus formation, percentage of regenerative calli and the number of plants per embryo. By crossing the cultivar Vesna (VS) with highest tissue culture response and the two cultivars with lowest response Leda (LD) and Zajecarska 65 (ZA), it was demonstrated that the regeneration potential was heritable. VS as female parent, enhanced regeneration response in hybrids VSxLD and VSxZA, while as a male parent, VS did not affect the regeneration ability of hybrids LD and ZA. However, hybrids having LD and ZA as a male parents exhibited a decreased regeneration potential, as compared to self-pollinated VS. The results suggest the presence of a class of extra-nuclear factors in the VS cultivar. They significantly account for relatively higher regeneration capacity in the hybrids having this cultivar as a female parent than in those where the VS was male parent