Date of Award:

5-1-1980

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Biology

Department name when degree awarded

Life Sciences:Biology

Committee Chair(s)

James T. Bowman

Committee

James T. Bowman

Committee

Raymond I. Lynn

Committee

J. R. Simmons

Committee

Neal Van Alfen

Committee

W. F. Campbell

Abstract

The use of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedlings and plant tissue cultures as possible sources of material for mutation and selection studies was investigated. Alfalfa seeds (var. 'Regen-S') with a purported high frequency of regeneration were obtained and tested. Callus and single cell cultures were treated with ethyl methanesulfonate and then screened for resistance to atrazine. The results indicated that either type of culture could be induced to yield a high frequency of resistant tissue. Attempts to induce the tissue to regenerate suggested that 'Regen-S' may not have as high a frequency of regeneration as reported. The capability of regeneration characterized primary callus only and could not be maintained either after repeated subculturing or after single cell culturing. The application of tissue culture methods to the treatment of seeds indicated that this was a desirable technique for developing herbicide resistance in plants. Leaf cuttings from a single resistant plant obtained using these methods were shown to carry resistance to atrazine. The ease with which resistance appeared in the tissue cultures and seedlings suggested resistance to atrazine may be inherited through the chloroplast: The desirability of using tissue culture techniques for developing herbicide-resistant mutants is discussed.

Download

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .