A viable protocol for direct regeneration of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cv. California Wonder

摘要

Capsicum, commonly called chilli, rs the universal spree of India. he genus onsists of five cultivated species, of which commercially important are C. annuum, C. frutescens and C. chinense. Bell pepper belongs to C. annuum and is so called because ofthe characteristic shape of the fruit. The fiuits are non-pungent when compared to red chilli and are used raw in salads or cooked into curries, It is also used as a dried vegetable in European and North African countries Application of cell and molecular biology techniques to Capsicum for its genetic improvement by developing transgenic plants has been limited because of the lack of an efficient and reproducible regeneration system, A few reports are available on in vitro regeneration from cotyledon and hypocotyls explants (Arroyo and Revilla, 1991; Valera-Montero and Ochoa-Alejo, 1992 Ramage and Leung, 1996). These reports indicate formation of cabbage leaves which remain in rosette form and failure of shoot buds to elongate. Differential response ofvarieties is also prominent and protocol has to be developed for each variety. In this paper, we discuss the results of an attempt to develop a viable regeneration system in Capsicum variety California Wonder through tissue culture technique using hypocotyl segments as explant.