Selection for increased anther culture response in maize

Anther culture of a three-way cross, (H99 × FR16) × Pa91, resulted in the regeneration of two anther-derived plants which were crossed to produce an F1 progeny. Fourteen S1 families derived from this cross were evaluated for their anther culturability. Dramatic increases in the level of androgenesis, expressed as the percentage of cultured anthers which produced embryo-like structures, were observed. An overall mean response frequency of 23.4% was observed for the S1 families. This was compared to a 3.5% response in the original three-way cross. These results demonstrate that genetic improvement of in vitro androgenesis in maize is possible and that anther culture per se constitutes a procedure for selecting genes which favor increased levels of response.