Effect of Silver Nitrate and Dark on Anther Culture Efficiency of Greenhouse Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Androgenesis has great potential in plant breeding due to its high efficiency and applicability in many plant species. Anther culture is one of the most common technique to induce haploids in plant breeding programs. In this study, to optimize anther culture of bell pepper, the effects of four darkness periods and five concentration levels of silver nitrate were studied in four commercial hybrids; Kamelot, Inspiration, Plato and Californium. The results showed that increasing dark treatment from six to ten days, increased the percentage of embryogenic anthers and the percentage of regenerated plantlets. The highest percentages of embryogenic anthers and regenerated plantlets were obtained using 10 mg l-1 of silver nitrate and incubating anthers cultured in CP medium for 10 days in darkness. The results also showed that the highest percentage of embryogenic anthers (16.66%) was observed in the interaction effect between 10 mg l-1 of silver nitrate and cv. Plato. Also, among the studied concentrations of silver nitrates, the highest percentage of regenerated plantlets (11.71%) was obtained using 10 mg l-1 of silver nitrate.