Attempts to regeneration of oat (<i>Avena sativa</i> L.) plants via androgenesis: Influence of pre-treatment and media composition

The generation of haploid plants and doubled haploid lines through the<i> in vitro</i> anther culture is an important biotechnological tool in breeding programs; however, due to the low efficiency of oat (<i>Avena sativa</i> L.) anther cultures, additional research is required to meet crop breeding advancement. In this study, twelve genotypes of oat (<i>Avena sativa</i> L.) were studied to differentiate the androgenesis competence of anthers. The capacity of anthers and microspores for embryogenesis under the influence of a cooling period (1, 2, or 3 weeks) at 4 °C of panicles and heat shock at 32 °C of anthers were tested. The statistical differences between the length of the cooling period and anther viability for all genotypes were observed. Anthers cultured for five days at 32 °C showed a decrease in viability compared to those not subjected to heat shock. Callus induction and embryo-like structure development were observed in seven genotypes out of the twelve examined. The largest number of calluses were obtained from genotype STH 65488 × Chimene. Among the three types of media tested, the most efficient was W14-1, on which anthers produced 12 calluses and 4 embryo-like structures, while on W14-2 and C17 media, anthers produced three calluses and two or one embryo-like structure, respectively. Haploid plants were regenerated from four genotypes: Flämingsprofi × STH 238, STH 238 × Matilda, STH 65488 × Chimene, and Sławko × Kasztan, and of the seven haploid plants, only two doubled haploids were obtained.