CELLULAR-CHANGES DURING HEAT-SHOCK INDUCTION AND EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURED MICROSPORES OF BRASSICA-NAPUS CV TOPAS

Brassica napus cv. Topas microspores, isolated and cultured near the time of the first pollen mitosis and subjected to a heat treatment of 24 h, can be induced to develop into haploid embryos. This is a study of microspore structure during induction and embryo determination. Early during the 32.5 degrees C incubation period the nucleus moved away from the edge of the cell, and granules, 30 to 60 nm in diameter, appeared in the mitochondria and as a cluster in the cytoplasm. Cells divided symmetrically and at the end of the heat treatment, acquired the features of induced bicellular structures described previously. The features persisted as the cells divided randomly within the exine for 4-7 days following heat induction. Multicellular structures released from the exine underwent periclinal divisions resulting in protoderm differentiation of the globular embryo, thus determining embryo development. The cytoplasm of early heart-stage embryos contains abundant polyribosomes. Non-embryogenic development was indicated by large accumulations of starch and/or lipid and thickened cell wails or an unorganized pattern of cell division following release of the multicellular structures from the exine. Embryogenesis is discussed in terms of induction, embryo determination and development.