Factors influencing the efficiency of wheat anther culture

Abstract

Using in vitro androgenesis serves as a unique opportunity to produce doubled haploid (DH) plants in many species. More benefits of this biological phenomenon have kept these methods in the focus of fundamental research and crop breeding for decades. In common wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), in vitro anther culture is one of the most frequently applied DH plant production methods. The efficiency of in vitro wheat anther culture is influenced by many factors, such as the genotype, growing conditions, collection time, pre-treatments, and compositions of media and culture conditions. According to some critical review, the genotype dependency, low efficiency and albinism are mentioned as limitations of application of the anther culture method. However, some research groups have made significant efforts to diminish the effects of these bottlenecks. Due to the improvements, a well-established in vitro anther culture method can be an efficient tool in modern wheat breeding programs.