Fertility and growth in the field of Lolium perenne and Festuca rubra plants regenerated from suspension cultured cells and protoplasts

The effect of regeneration of Lolium perenne and Festuca rubra from embryogenic suspension cells and protoplasts on fertility and growth was evaluated. Embryogenic suspension cultures were either routinely subcultured or cryopreserved and re-established. Phenology, morphology and fertility of regenerated plants were studied for two growing seasons in a replicated field experiment. Most regenerated L. perenne and F. rubra plants showed a delay in inflorescence emergence, a reduced seed yield and differences in morphological traits when compared with seed-grown plants. For L. perenne, performance of plants regenerated from cryopreserved suspension cultures and protoplasts was similar to that of respective plants regenerated from routinely maintained suspension cultures. However, differences in performance were observed for respective regenerants in F. rubra. The phenotypic deviation observed was partly reflected in the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis performed. However, regenerants of both species showing similar, or even superior performance to the seed-grown plants were also found. Embryogenic suspension cells and corresponding protoplasts of L. perenne and F. rubra have the potential for producing fertile, well-performing plants which can be integrated in breeding programs.