SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS AND PLANT REGENERATION IN TISSUE CULTURES OF PANICUM MAXIMUM JACQ.

Callus tissue cultures were initiated from immature embryos, mature embryos and young inflorescences of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with 2.5–10 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Calluses were transferred onto the same nutrient medium with 0.2 mg/l 2,4-D, or without 2,4-D. In callus cultures derived from immature embryos and young inflorescence segments, plantlets were produced via somatic embryogenesis after 3–5 wk. Young plants were successfully transplanted to pots and grown in the greenhouse. Plant development in callus obtained from mature embryos took place through the organization of shoot meristems. Regenerated plants were shown to have the normal tetraploid chromosome number of 2n = 4x = 32.