Effects of Dimethyl Sulphoxide on the Gametophytic and Sporophytic phases of Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn

Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) at concentrations of up to 10 mlper litre of growth medium was found to have no significantinfluence upon Pteridium gametophyte growth or morphology However,significant effects upon embryo development and sporophyte morphologywere shown The most striking of these was that more than oneembryo developed from each fertilized gametophyte grown on DMSOmedium Two to five embryos regularly developed on each gametophytecultured on media containing this solvent, control gametophytesbore single sporophytes The significance of these findings inrelation to theories concerning polyembryony are discussed Pteridium, dimethyl sulphoxide, polyembryony