Establishment of an efficient callus induction and plant regeneration system in Pakistani wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars

Four commercially grown wheat varieties of Pakistan, namely Inqilab-91, Chakwal-97, Tatara and Manthar were used for this investigation. For callus induction different concentrations of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (2,4-D) along with 0.1 mg/L of Kinetin were evaluated. For regeneration initially different concentrations of Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) and 6-BenzylAminoPurine (BAP) were tested. Best hormone combinations were further subjected to Kinetin and 6-ã-ã-dimethylallylaminopurine (2iP). For Inqilab-91, Chakwal-97 and Manthar, 3 mg/L of 2,4-D was found optimum, which induced 83.25 percent, 77.75 percent and 95.20 percent of embryogenic calli, respectively. Maximum callus induction (97.18 percent) was observed in Tatara when 2 mg/L of 2,4-D was used. As regard to regeneration, Inqilab-91, Chakwal-97 and Manthar showed maximum regeneration on media containing 0.1 mg/L IAA, 0.4 mg/L Kinetin and 0.5 mg/L 2iP, regenerating 87.25 percent, 81.75 percent and 68.75 percent respectively. For Tatara maximum regeneration of 12.25 percent was obtained on 0.1 mg/L IAA and 2 mg/L of BAP. Presently optimized regeneration method holds promise for facilitating the deployment of agronomical important trait through genetic transformation for the improvement of this important food crop.

Assessment of genetic diversity in sesame ( Sesamum indicum L. ) detected by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism markers

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the oldest oil crops and is widely cultivated in Asia and Africa. To determine the level of genetic diversity in relation to geographical origins and morphological characteristics, a total of 96 accessions have been collected from different parts of the world and were analyzed using AFLP techniques. Twenty-one primer pairs generated a total of 445 bands and among them 157 (35 percent) were polymorphic. Using UPGMA clustering analysis method based on the similarity coefficient, accessions were separated into two major groups. The first group mostly consists of Eastern Asian origin and another group consists of South Asian origin. Sub-clusters separated the accessions and form distinct diversity among groups. Considering the relatednessof accessions, geographical origin and their morphological characteristics are reflected to the similarity of AFLP pattern.