Chloroplast number in guard cells as ploidy indicator of in vitro-grown androgenic pepper plantlets

Protoplasts were isolated from field and in vitro-grown leaves, cotyledons and cell suspension cultures (of ovule callus origin) of the scion apple cultivars Starkrimson, Rainier, Qiujin and Liaofu. Fast-growing calluses were obtained from leaf, cotyledon and cell suspension derived protoplasts of the four genotypes. The best proliferation responses were obtained from cell suspension protoplasts. For all genotypes tested, nodular calluses were obtained from protoplasts that had originally been cultured on K8P medium, but only those of cultivar Starkrimson underwent organogenesis. In this cultivar shoot buds were produced on callus derived from both cotyledon and cell suspension protoplasts and complete plants. This is the first example of whole plant regeneration from protoplasts isolated from an undifferentiated tissue in apple.Abbreviations BA 6-benzylaminopurine - 2,4-d 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - IAA 3-indole acetic acid - IBA 3-indole butyric acid - LH lactalbumin hydrolysate - MS Murashige & Skoog (1962) - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - TDZ thidiazuron - VC L(+) ascorbic acid