Plant Regeneration by Somatic Embryogenesis from Callus Initiated from Immature Embryos and Immature Inflorescences of Hordeum vulgare

Callus cultures were obtained from immature embryos and immature inflorescences of Hordeum vulgare. Embryogenic callus was produced from both types of explant tissue and was affected by cultivar, size of explant and media components. The highest number of immature embryos (34.3%) and immature inflorescences (39.1%) formed embryogenic callus in the presence of culture medium containing 10 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. The majority of embryoids developed with a leafy structure in place of a scutellum. One to many shoot meristems were arranged along the base of this leafy structure. Morphologically normal green plants with a chromosome number of 2n = 14 were regenerated from both inflorescence and embryo cultures. Regenerated albino plantlets had small undifferentiated plastids containing large plastid DNA nucleoids. Also described is pistil development from embryogenic callus initiated from immature embryos of the cultivar Prior