Genetically stable cell lines of cucumber for the large‐scale production of diploid somatic embryos

Abstract

For the initiation of embryogenic cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cell lines, from excised radicles, directly in liquid medium, the culture regime, explant density and type and concentration of hormones were adjusted so that pro‐embryogenic masses (PEMs) were formed within about 8 weeks. The established cucumber cell lines were maintained tor several years without loss of embryogenic and genetic stability. The ploidy level of somatic embryos from different cucumber eell lines was either diploid or tetraploid and depended on the ploidy level of Ihe cell line. Cucumber cell lines that produced only diploid embryos were obtained by selecting completely diploid explant material and growing it in the dark during the initiation phase. Mixoploid explains could lead to tetraploid or mixoploid ceil lines. Isolation and additional selection and subculturing of single PEMs resulted in either completely diploid or tetraploid cell lines, indicating that all cells of individual PEMs are either diploid or tetraploid. The ernbryogenic cucumber cell Imes, differing only in ploidy level, were indistinguishable in growth rate and embryogetiic potential and were genetically stable over several years.