Research Objective
To develop an efficient anther culture protocol for the production of double-haploid lentil; to develop an efficient microspore culture protocol; to use the developed protocol(s) on selected material from the Crop Development Centre (CDC) lentil program to develop an efficient double-haploid method that is applicable to a wide range of genotypes.
Despite many experiments involving multi-stress treatments, only tri-nucleated or tetra-nucleated microspores were observed. Sustained microspore division in lentil has not yet been achieved and no embryos were developed. Some critical factors are still missing for the development of double haploid technology for lentil. Further fundamental research is required to discover why this species is so recalcitrant to both androgenesis and somatic embryogenesis.