Long term regeneration by somatic embryogenesis in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) tissue cultures derived from apical meristem explants

Callus cultures were initiated from apical meristem explants of one to four-week-old aseptically-grown barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Atlas 57) plants. Embryogenic callus and plants were produced in three separate experiments; the cultures have retained regenerative capacity for three years after initiation. Our results demonstrate that explants other than immature embryos are embryogenically competent in barley and that regeneration occurs by both somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis.