EN
Plants were regenerated from immature embryo cultures of 35 winter wheat genotypes. General responses of regenerated plants were investigated and a total of 7142 R₂ spike lines from 1593 R₁ plants were assessed in the field for somaclonal variants in 1985/86, 1986/87 and 1987/88. Selected variants were studied for their possible genetic inheritance. From regenerated plantlets, 81% survived and 63% produced fertile plants. Forms with reduced plant height, length of spike and other morphological abnormalities were found in this progeny. Populations of R₁ plants were highly variable due mainly to the physiological disturbances resulting from the in vitro process. Overall somaclonal variation frequencies were 14.2% per plant basis and 5.3% per R₂ spike basis. The variants were similar in the three different R₂ generations with predominant variants being negative in plant height, maturity, awns, spike type and plant type. Both uniform R₂ variant families and spike lines were found in addition to the segregating variants which constituted the majority. On average, in a variant family or line, 18% and 14% of their component lines and plants were variants, respectively. Inheritability was demonstrated for the uniform variant families and spike lines as well as segregated variants. Of those 134 selections, about 70% were classified as inheritable. Both recessive and dominant gene mutations at one, two or three loci were evident in some variants as suggested by the segregating data.