Barley Isolated Microspore Culture.

The production of doubled haploids (DHs) has proved to be a highly valuable tool to obtain new cultivars. Among the cereals, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the most successful species in large-scale haploid production. Techniques employed for this purpose are based on either the gynogenetic or the androgenetic pathway. Interspecific cross with Hordeum bulbosum L., haploid gene inducer (the hap gene), ovary culture, anther culture (AC), and isolated microspore culture (IMC) are the most used methods. Among all of them, IMC is regarded as a particularly effective system owing to the great increase in green plant numbers per spike and also the higher induction of chromosome doubling when compared with other methods. Thus, IMC provides the best way to mass scale production of new varieties.