SHOOT PRODUCTION FROM THE FLOWER HEAD OF ALLIUM-CEPA L

Shoots have been produced from onion capitulum tissue plated onto agar-solidified media. Up to 98 shoots have been produced per capitulum of cultivar 'Produre', the optimal number when explants were cultured upon BDS based medium containing 1.0 mg l-1 BA. The shoots produced in culture were categorised according to their most obvious morphological affinities, and 3 of these categories appeared to be derived by modification of existing floral parts. Shoots could be produced from flower-heads until the meiotic stage in pollen formation of their buds. Over 50% of the shoots produced in each experiment could be regenerated to whole plants, and at maturity they showed no apparent morphological or cytological variation. The value of this method of shoot induction for propagation and breeding purposes, and its usefulness as a site for mutagenic treatments are discussed. © 1979.