Establishment of a highly efficient regeneration method from the scraped broken embryo of mature barley seed

Abstract

Hua, W., Zhu, J., Shang, Y., Wang, J., Jia, Q., Lin, F. and Yang, J. 2013. Establishment of a highly efficient regeneration method from the scraped broken embryo of mature barley seed. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 1029–1035. An efficient and reproducible plant regeneration system for mature barley would represent a significant innovation for barley tissue culture and genetic transformations to optimize barley crop traits. To address this need, we used scraped broken embryos (SBEs) from dried barley seeds to establish a highly efficient regeneration system. Mature SBEs cultured in an induction medium with 2 mg L−1 2,4-D offered the best callus formation (92.99% induction efficiency) and no germination. Furthermore, calli arising from SBEs had the highest regeneration frequency (69.72%) in FHG medium with 1 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine. We then compared three different cultivars: Golden Promise, Zaoshu3, and Zhepi8 for callogenesis and regeneration using an established protocol. Zhepi8 had the greatest callus induction (92.78%) and regeneration (68.24%). Our innovative methods for mature barley plant reproduction will contribute to improvements in genetic barley transformation as an alternate regeneration system.