Influence of in vitro culture on seed size in somaclonal variants of spelt

Aim. Study the seed size of Triticum spelta L. regenerants obtained in the immature embryo culture R2 generation in comparison with the original forms. Methods. Measurement of length, width and area of the grain using ImageJ software, statistical data analysis. Results. Measurements of spelt grains of five original genotypes and their 26 somaclonal variants were carried out. Significant differences in seed size were found. The Oberkulmer Rotkorn and Zorya Ukrainy spelt cultivars had the largest grains, and their somaclones showed a significant decrease in the grain size. Among the somaclonal variants of the rest spelt genotypes, a significant increase in grain size was observed with a high frequency (from 40 % to 67 % of all somaclones) and no significant decrease. Two somaclones of the T. spelta 4 (UK 4C/15) breeding line had significantly higher grain area values compared to all other studied genotypes. Conclusions. Somaclonal variation in seed size was revealed among biotechnological spelt plants. It was shown that the character of changes in grain size parameters depended on the initial genotype. The developed method to obtain biotechnological spelt plants makes it possible to develop high-quality starting material for the plant breeding needs.