Plant regeneration from protoplast-derived callus of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Protoplasts isolated from cultured rice cells of an A-58 cytoplasmic male sterile line (A-58 MS)(Oryza sativa L.) were used to investigate the regeneration of rice plants. A cultured cell line (T3) of A-58 MS with a high growth rate and dense cytoplasm was selected. About 10% of the protoplasts prepared from this established cell line plated in RY-2 (a new medium) formed colonies. The calli formed shoots and roots in the regeneration medium and developed into whole plants.Protoplasts also were prepared from suspension cultures of 25 other varieties of rice using the same methods. The protoplasts isolated from two of the 25 varieties, Fujiminori and Toyotama, had high rates of cell division in RY-2 medium. Only protoplastderived calli from Fujiminori, produced whole plants in the regeneration medium.