Plant regeneration from hypocotyl and cotyledon explant of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Three tomato cultivars were used to examine the influence of the genetic background on the regeneration efficiency. White embryonic calli were formed within two weeks of culture. Shoots emerged either directly from the explant or indirectly from the embryonic callus. Multiple adventitious shoots were formed by clonal propagation of somatic embryos in the presence of 2 mg zeatin L^-1. The meristematic end of the hypocotyl of the cultivar Pontaroza showed a high regeneration frequency (70.2%) compared with the cotyledonary leaf explant (35.3%). The plants grown in the green house and the regenerants obtained showed a similar peroxidase banding pattern. The combined analysis of variance indicated that the difference in shoot induction between cultivars was highly significant. Shoot induction frequency was 57.2%, 43.5%, and 35.5% for the cultivars UC-97, Pontaroza, and Zuishi, respectively. The regeneration frequency was 50%, 28%, and 20% for the cultivars UC-97, Pontaroza, and Zuishi, respectively. The observed differences in shoot induction between cultivars were due to the genetic difference between them.