Determination of Optimal Panicle Harvest Timing and Evaluation of Anther Culture Response In Turkish Rice Varieties for Haploid Breeding

This study aimed to evaluate the anther culture response in Turkish rice varieties and assess the feasibility of introducing haploid technology into rice breeding programs in Turkey. Histological analysis revealed that when the anther tip was located between one-third and half of the spikelet’ length, about 96% of the pollen was in the uninucleate stage. When the anther tip was positioned between half to three-fourths of the spikelet’ length, most of the pollen was in the tricellular stage. The optimal time to harvest panicles for anther culture is when the anther tip located between one-third and one-half of the spikelet’s length, with the position closer to one-third being more favorable. The callus induction rate among 39 rice varieties ranged from 0.1% to 48.9%, with an average of 9.9%. The green plant regeneration rate varied 0% to 61.1%, with an average of 10.0%, while green-to-albino ratio was 0.3. The highest rates of both callus induction and plant regeneration were observed in the varieties ‘Surek 95’ with rates of 48.9% and 61.1%, respectively. The primary challenges in the anther culture of Turkish rice varieties were the risk of contamination during in vitro culture and the high frequency of albino plant occurrence. In conclusion, although differences in anther culture response were observed among the varieties, the introduction of haploid techniques into Turkish rice breeding programs appears feasible on a limited scale.