Some factors affecting callus induction in ovary culture of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Abstract

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important crop in Lithuania for the production of both oil and fibre, but no Lithuanian flax cultivar has been developed. The haploid technique is a fast and efficient tool for developing new varieties in a comparatively short time. Many research groups successfully created new flax genotypes through anther culture; however application of ovary culture for flax haploid production has been published in few reports only. The breeding program for developing a Lithuanian flax cultivar was started at the Genetic-Biotechnology Laboratory of Lithuanian University of Agriculture. The present paper reports the effect of genotype, growth regulators and the level of sucrose on callus induction in ovary culture of flax. Ovaries were cultured on a modified MS medium supplemented with three different combinations of plant growth regulators. Three levels of sucrose were evaluated. Variable callogenic responses were expressed by all of the five genotypes and their hybrids tested on different induction media. Ovaries of the genotypes ‘Lirina’, ‘Barbara’ and ‘Mikael’ showed the highest valuže of induced ovaries in a medium supplemented with 2.0 mgl–1 BAP and 1.0 mgl–1 NAA, while a combination of 1.0 mgl–1 BAP and 2.0 mgl–1 2,4D significantly reduced the number of ovaries producing callus. The current study indicates that there is a strong effect of the genotype on callus production from ovary in flax, and therefore specific combinations of growth regulators and sucrose level must be designed for each genotype in order to elicit optimum results. Keywords: flax cultivars and hybrids, plant growth regulators, ovary culture, sucrose level