Full Length Research Paper

Regeneration of Sudanese maize inbred lines and open pollinated varieties

Rasha Adam Omer^{1, 2}, Abdelbagi M. Ali ², Jonathan M. Matheka¹ and Jesse Machuka¹*

¹Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, Nairobi, Kenya.

²Agricultural Research Corporation, P.O. Box 126, Wad Medani, Sudan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: machuka@ku.ac.ke. Tel: +254-020-810245. Fax: +254-020-811575.

Abbreviations: IM, induction medium; PM, proliferation medium; MM, maturation medium; R1, regeneration medium.

Accepted 10 January, 2008

Eight maize inbred lines and three open pollinated varieties from Sudan were evaluated for their response to tissue culture. Immature embryos obtained 16 days after pollination were used as explants for callus induction. Calli were induced on LS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Callus induction capacity was highest in inbred lines IL3, IL15 and IL1. The Varieties Hudiba-2 and Hudiba-1 were not statistically different (p >0.05) in callus induction. The capacity for embryogenic callus formation was highest in inbred line IL3 followed by IL1 and IL38 and in varieties Hudiba-2 and Hudiba-1.  Inbred lines IL16, IL42, IL43 and IL28 had the lowest embryogenic callus formation capacity. Plant regenerating genotypes were IL3, IL38, IL15, IL1, Hudiba-2 and Mojtamaa-45. Inbred line IL3 was the most regenerable genotype with a shoot formation frequency of 76% averaging 6 shoots per callus. The highest regenerating variety was Mojtamaa-45, which averaged 5 shoots per callus.

Keywords: Sudanese maize genotypes, embryogenic callus, regeneration, and tissue culture.