STUDY OF MORPHOLOGICAL AND ELECTROPHORETIC TRAITS OF ANTHER CULTURE DERIVED CAULIFLOWER PLANTS (BRASSICA-OLERACEA VAR BOTRYTIS)

Anther culture derived embryos were obtained from an autumn type cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L botrytis). Cytological, morphological (table I) and electrophoretic analyses of the regenerated plants were undertaken. A high frequency of tetraploids (64%) was observed. Only 26% of the plants were diploid, and 6% triploid. No haploids were obtained. A good correlation (r = 0.973 p < 0.01) (table III) was noted between the number of chloroplasts in the stomatic guard cells and the ploidy level determined by chromosome counting (fig 2). A few morphological characteristics (length of the buds just before anthesis, petal length) may also be taken into account to estimate the ploidy level (table IV). The mother plant was analysed by starch gel electrophoresis and was found to be homozygous for most of the studied enzyme loci except for ACO and PGM for which polymorphism was observed (fig 1). This polymorphism allowed the verification of the gametophytic origin of the plants obtained by anther culture in which no more polymorphism was detected and segregation of the alleles could be studied (table II). No somatic embryos were observed.