In vitro Culture of Stamen Primordia of the Normal and a Male Sterile Stamenless-2 Mutant of Tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Abstract

Summary Stamen primordia (0.2-0.4mm in length) of the normal and a male sterile stamenless-2 mutant of tomato were cultured in modified Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with benzylaminopurine (BAP) or gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) or both. In the presence of BAP and GA 3 (each at 10 -6 M), maximum growth of the primordia of both the genotypes was obtained. The mutant stamens were comparable in size to those grown in vivo but not the normal stamens. Some of the mutant characteristics were also expressed in the cultured stamens. Microsporogenesis was, however, lacking in the stamens of both genotypes. These results show that whereas the expression of some of the mutant characteristics is relatively independent of other floral parts, the differentiation of microsporogenous tissue in the two genotypes is dependent on other floral organs. And, that although gibberellins are essential for stamen development, some other, yet unknown, factors are also required for stamen maturation.