Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 3:34 (article 19) 1980

Embryo Culture of Cucumis Species

J. D. Norton

Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36830

Due to embryo abortion in greenhouse crosses, embryo culture was utilized to produce plants from the Cucumis metuliferus x C. melo cross. Although fruit appeared to develop normally in the C. anguria x C. melo cross, the embryos aborted before the fruit matured.

Plants of C. melo (PI 140471) and C. metuliferus (PI 292190) were grown in a growth chamber at 26°C day and 14°C night temperature with a 12 hr day. The growing media consisted of a peat, perlite, soil mixture, 1:1:1, in 30.5 cm clay pots. The plants were trellised on a 2.1 m x 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm wood stake in the center of each pot.

Fruit from controlled crosses were harvested at 5-day intervals beginning 15 days after pollination. Seed were surface sterilized and embryos were carefully removed in a contamination-free work area. The embryos were cultured on a pre-mixed, high salt Murashige and Skoog semi-solid medium plus thiamine, pyridoxin, nicotinic acid, myo-inositol, naphthalene acetic acid, kinetin and sucrose. The embryos remained dormant from two days to two weeks. After the radicle emerged as a root, the plumule would develop green color.

After six to eight weeks, growth of the embryos was adequate for transfer to a sterilized soil mixture in 10.2 cm peat pots. Later the plants were transferred to 30.5 cm clay pots and field plots.