The effects of donor plants age, genotype and season to obtain haploid plants in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

This study was conducted to reveal the effects of genotype and plant age onobtaining haploid pepper cultivars of three different pepper type (bell, wax and long).Plants were grown at the experimental field of Agricultural Faculty at AkdenizUniversity and the experiments were conducted in tissue culture laboratory ofDeparment of Horticulture at Akdeniz University between 2007 and 2010.In this research, 3 different pepper types and 12 cultivars (Alcapi, Kappy, Balo,Punto, Kekova, Amazon for winter season, T-304, Atris, Ergenekon, Punto, Bafra,Delta for summer season) were used. Buds were classified for their size to each seasonand optimum microspore stage for anther culture in these classes were determined bystaining method with ethidium bromide. Effects of plants? age were investigated withmonthly intervals. Donor plants were grown at open field in summer season and ingreenhouse in winter season. The study was repeated in two successive years.Embryo formation rates were 0,69% in winter and 0,68% in summer. This resultreveal that there isn't any difference between the seasons if it used suitable cultivars toseason. On the other hand, seasonal difference was determined among the pepper types.Bell type had the highest embryo formation ratio with 1,53% in summer. It is followedby long (0,25%) and wax (0,13%) types. In winter season, long pepper types gave thebest result among the types used with the 1,01% embryo formation ratio, and followedby bell (0,93 %) and wax (0,17%) types. It is possible to say that anthers derived fromyoung donor plants had high embryogenic capasity depending on season and month. Inwinter season, embryo formation ratio of anthers taken from one month-old Balo plantswhich planted in December, was 6,67%. In summer, when 1 month old plants ofErgenekon cultivar were cultivated in May, the percentage of embryo formation ratewas 15,45%. It can be clearly seen that there was a negative relationship between donorplant age and embyo formation ratio, when the months and cultivars were disregarded.In this study, effect of genotype on embryogenic response of anthers was very clear.Embryo formation ratio of 12 different cultivar used in study showed variance amongfrom 0% to 1,95%. While Ergenekon (bell type) cultivar gave the highest percentage ofembryo formation with 1,95%, no embryo formation was obtained in Delta (long type)cultivar.