Improving in vivo maize doubled haploid production efficiency through early detection of false positives

Abstract

With 1 figure and 2 tablesAbstractIn vivo doubled haploid (DH) technology provides a means of creating new maize inbred lines relatively quickly; however, productivity is limited by false‐positive (FP) plants for haploidy and for dihaploidy, which consume resources of space and labour until detected. This work examines the potential for using stomata guard cell length measurement as a means for early detection of FP plants. We found that the true haploid and DH plants could be differentiated from FP and untreated diploid controls as early as Leaf 2 stage by stomata guard cell length measurement. Furthermore, DH plants were distinguishable from haploid and other diploid plants by the Leaf 7 growth stage. Results suggest that, when used together with screening through the anthocyanin colour marker system and flower fertility, stomata guard cell measurement is an easy, non‐destructive, early screening method that may lead to a greater efficiency in DH production systems and optimization of resource allocation for space and labour.