SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS AND PLANT-REGENERATION FROM IMMATURE EMBRYOS OF CARICA-PAPAYA X CARICA-CAULIFLORA CULTURED INVITRO

Somatic embryos were induced directly on immature embryos of Carica papaya X Carica cauliflora hybrids cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog's medium. When transferred to medium supplemented with abscisic acid, individual somatic embryos proliferated numerous daughter embryos through repeated embryogenesis. Light microscopic study of the repeatedly embryogenic cultures showed that daughter embryos arose from single superficial cells of parent embryos. Plant regeneration occurred following transfer of somatic embryos to medium devoid of plant growth regulators. Regenerated plants were intermediate between C. papaya and C. cauliflora in several morphological respects and showed isozyme patterns specific to both species as well as some new bands, indicating that they are indeed interspecific hybrids.