Embryo yield in wheat anther culture is influenced by the choice of sugar in the culture medium

Summary The effect of employing different sugars in wheat anther culture has been investigated using four Spring wheat cultivars. The most responsive cultivar, Orofen, gave a three to four-fold increase in embryo yield when maltose was used in place of sucrose, with 50 embryos being produced for every 100 anthers cultured. Measurement of sugar concentrations in the culture media indicated that sucrose was more rapidly hydrolysed than maltose. However, neither the osmotic potential of the medium nor the concentration of glucose appeared to be critical factors in determining embryo yield.