IN VITRO TECHNIQUES AS AN EFFICIENT TOOL IN ASPARAGUS BREEDING

In France the main purposes in Asparagus improvement are gains in productivity and earliness with a high quality of spears.
Problems arise from dioecism and perennial of this species.

Miscellaneous in vitro techniques were developed.
Among them meristem culture and in vitro cutting allow the propagation of any plant, in particular the parents of valuable hybrids.
On the other hand anther culture can give rise to homozygous plants which can be used as parents of F₁ hybrids.

These techniques are being operational in the breeding program of our Institute since 1973.

Symposium on Tissue Culture for Horticultural Purposes

C. Dore

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1977.78.9