Plant regeneration from mesophyll protoplasts of Moricandia arvensis

Moricandia arvensis is of interest as it is a dicotyledonous species which has C3 - C4 intermediate photosynthesis, a mechanism which results in enhanced recapture of photorespired CO2. Leaves from cultured shoot tips were used as a source for mesophyll cell protoplasts. Approximately 1% of the protoplasts which survived the first few days of culture produced calli. On a suitable regeneration medium, 30-60% of the calli regenerated one or more shoots. From among the regenerating shoots eight were selected, transferred to soil and grown to flowering in the glasshouse; all were fertile. The development of a protoplast regeneration system provides the opportunity to use transformation and somaclonal variation as tools in the genetic analysis of the C3-C4 character in this species.