In Vitro Shoot Formation on Sugarcane (Saccharum Officinarum L.) Callus as Affected by Benzyladenine Concentrations

In vitro regeneration of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) clones can support breeding program of sugarcane. Thisresearch was conducted to study the effect of benzyladenine on in vitro shoot formation from sugarcane callus. Leafrolls werecultured for 8 weeks on callus induction medium containing MS salts, 30 g L-1 sucrose, 150 ml L-1 coconut water, 100 mg L-1myo-inositol, 0.1 mg L-1 thiamine-HCl, 0.5 mg L-1 pyridoxine-HCl, 0.5 mg L-1 nicotinic acid, 2 mg L-1 glycine, and 3 mg L-12,4-D. Callus was then subjected to different concentrations of benzyladenine (BA) (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 2.5 mg L-1) containedin MS media. The experiment showed that after 8 weeks in culture 2 and 2.5 mg L-1 BA led to the highest percentage of shootformation (100%). The experiment also showed that addition of BA caused an increase in percentage of shoot formation,number of shoot per callus clumps, and average shoot length. In the range of 0-2.5 mg L-1, the higher the concentrationsof BA the more shoots and the longer shoots were produced. Highest number of shoots was recorded at BA 2.5 mg L-1(36.4 shoots per callus clump) and highest average shoot length was obtained at 2 and 2.5 mg L-1 BA, i.e. 2.25 and 2.3 cmrespectively. The shoot formation system was then applied to 12 sugarcane genotypes, resulting in statistically differentresponse and producing substantial number of shoots, ranging from 29 to 41.33 shoots per clump

Pyramiding Important Disease-resistant Characters by Hybridization of Transgenic and Non-transgenic Peanuts (Arachis Hypogaea L.)

We have produced transgenic peanut lines carrying a coat protein gene of peanut stripe virus (PStV) and showing resistance to the virus. However, their susceptibility to leafspot disease caused by Cercospora sp. and their lower productivity compared to their genetic background cultivar make them commercially less undesireable. The objective of this research was to test whether crossing the transgenic peanut plants with a non-transgenic peanut line WS, which was resistant to leafspot disease and high-yielding, could produce progenies in F2 generation that were resistant to both PStV and leafspot disease as well as of higher yield campared to their transgenic progenitor. If this test was proven, pyramiding novel transgenic and non-transgenic characters in peanut plants by hybridization would probably be a routine procedure in the future. Crosses were made between transgenic peanut plants that were resistant to PStV and non-transgenic peanut line WS. F2 population was evaluated for resistance to PStV and leafspot disease. Number of filled pods, filled pod dry weight per plant, and dry weight of each pod were measured. Result of the experiment showed that some of the plants in F2 population exhibited resistant both to PStV and leafspot disease and produced higher number of filled pods, filled pod dry weight per plant, and dry weight of each pod compared to those produced by their transgenic parent plants