Selection of Al-resistant plants from a sensitive rice cultivar, using somaclonal variation, in vitro and hydroponic cultures

A selection procedure is described that isolated Al-resistant individuals from a sensitive rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotype. Somaclonal variation was used as the only source of variability and selection pressures were applied at both callus and regenerated plant levels. When 10 week-old, embryo-derived calli were submitted to different Al stresses for a period of 20 weeks. After this in vitro stress period, selected calli were grown during 18 weeks, without selection pressure, on regeneration media. Selection pressures were applied on regenerated plants (R0), and 9 R0 plants which produced seeds were selected. The transmission of the Al-resistant character to the R1, R2, R3 and R4 generations was then investigated, and three plant lines which had an increased percentage of Al-resistant plants till the fourth generation of self-pollination, were identified. One was from a callus maintained on an Al-free medium. The efficiency of in vitro selection pressures was therefore debated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.