Production of doubled haploids from androgenic embryoids and plantlets of tobacco

Abstract

In four experiments, the chromosome doubling effect of acenaphthene vapour was tested on androgenic embryoids and/or plantlets of tobacco. The maximum rate of plants with doubled chromosome numbers (41.3 % diploids plus 2.7 % tetraploids) was recorded when approx. 100 mg acenaphthene in small and sterilized cheese-cloth bag's were hanged for 72 h, into the culture jars (6.0 x 11.5 cm), containing 4 - 6 androgenic plantlets newly transferred from culture tubes. Acenaphthene treatments performed at the earlier stages of culture resulted in lower percentages (from 0.0 to 6.3 %).