AN EFFICIENT METHOD FOR ANTHER AND OVARY CULTURE IN ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS (L.) MOENCH. IN-VITRO

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.) is an important nutrient-rich vegetable crop also known as “lady’s finger”, widely grown in the tropics and sub-tropics mainly for its edible pods and is an alloploid. The haploid technique has been used in plant breeding for the improvements of plants and to develop new varieties in a relatively short time. Hence, we have optimized several factors such as plant growth regulators (PGR), sucrose concentration, type of media and culture conditions for callus induction from the anther and ovary of okra (Parbhani Kranti Hybrid). In this research, the effects of the microspore developmental stage, time of bud collection, different combinations of hormones, and culture condition on anther culture were studied. The explants were cultured on various combinations of PGRs i.e., (IAA, 2,4-D, KIN, BAP, IBA and TDZ) and various concentrations. The optimum developmental stage of microspore for callus initiation was achieved from flower buds of okra and its size was about 12 mm long, and showed significantly higher percentage of callus induction. The optimum stage for ovary culture was one or two days prior to anthesis and the flower buds stage was 25±1mm. In conclusion, our study investigated the effect of several factors that affect callus induction in okra and optimized culture conditions. The ultimate aim of this study was to investigate the potential of okra anther culture and ovary culture for obtaining haploid plants. The study will ultimately help in double haploid production that can aid in faster okra improvement.