Plant Cell Cultures: Present and Projected Applications for Studies in Genetics

Abstract

This lecture falls into three main sections: (i) Plant tissue and cell cultures offer the possibility of regenerating plants from single cells (including cells regenerated from single or fused protoplasts — Cocking and Evans, 1973). The central problems associated with plant regeneration from callus and suspension cultures will therefore be outlined. (ii) The cytological stability of cells in culture is of critical importance whether our purpose is the use of tissue cultures for multiplication of a particular individual plant phenotype or to preserve a particular cell line or to reveal the phenotypic expression in the whole plant of such a cell line. It is also important if we wish to preserve the haploid states of cells unchanged during a programme of mutagenesis, mutant selection and multiplication. It is therefore necessary for us to be aware of the present state of knowledge regarding cytological instability and to assess how far it may be possible to stabilise the cytology of cells in culture or to circumvent this problem. (iii) The availability of haploid cells via anther and pollen culture (Sunderland, 1973a and Nitsch in this volume) requires attention to the potentiality of such cells and to the problems associated with their use as a source of naturally occurring and induced mutant cell lines. Here it is necessary to consider the use of mutagenic agents and the problems of selecting higher plant cell mutants.