High frequency of spontaneous haploids in the progeny of an induced mutation in barley

Abstract

The possibilities of "producing" haploids have attracted much interest. To the plant breeder this production means a tool to select gametes resulting from recombination in heterozygotes. By colchicine treatment the haploid chromosome number is doubled and homozygous individuals are produced and can be multiplied for testing if selfing is possible. Thus, such a procedure is faster than the conventional breeding system. The speed of the breeding process is, no doubt, of great importance. In most species, the frequency of spontaneously occurring haploids is low but in barley it is extremely low. The few cases of spontaneously occurring haploids described have been summarized by In some crops, it has been possible to produce haploids from pollen cells by anther culture. This technique has, however, been relatively unsuccessful in cereals.