Plant Regeneration from Wheat Leaf Explants

The factors affecting the callus formation and regeneration capacity of leaf explants of four genotypes of the genus Triticum, viz. T. aestivum, cvs. Taezhnaya and Chinese Spring; T. durum, cv. Kollektivnaya; and T. persicum, were investigated. The process of callus formation did not depend on the explant genotype. Apical leaf segments were characterized by the lowest capacity of callus formation. In contrast, the rate of plant regeneration was correlated with the genotype and the explant developmental stage. The highest number of regenerants was obtained from a basal segment of three-day-old seedlings ofT. aestivum, cv. Taezhnaya. The yield of plants from one explant was doubled due to the use of maltose in the regeneration medium. The prospects of using leaf segments as the explants for the genetic transformation of wheat plants are discussed.