Cytoplasmic effects on the tissue culture response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) callus

Calli were initiated from immature embryos of eight lines of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell) with different cytoplasms, the euplasmic nuclear donor 'Chinese Spring' and seven alloplasmic lines derived from wild relative species of the genera Triticum and Aegilops. The calli were found to differ in their initial growth rates, their sensitivity to 2,4-D and their ability to organise shoot primordia, demonstrating that the cytoplasm can significantly affect the behaviour of tissues in culture. The potential for improving the responses of tissues in culture by cytoplasmic changes is noted.