Growth in Vitro of Immature Hordeum Embryos

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Abstract
Barley (Hordeum vulgare var. Chevron) plants provided seeds from which embryos were aseptically removed. The basic medium contained dist. water, 2% sucrose, 0.8% agar, and the mixt. of minerals used by Randolph and Cox (1943). The pH of the medium was about 5.6. Immature embryos readily germinated on the basic medium, forming normal seedlings which were smaller than those from mature seed. Prolongation of embryonic growth was produced by adding to the basic medium an "embryo factor" found, for instance, in casein hydrolysate. On a medium containing 1% vitamin-free casein hydrolysate, germination was inhibited for several days in 13- to 15-day-old embryos; the germination of 10- to 12-day embryos was delayed much longer. The embryos meanwhile underwent considerable enlargement. All but the highest concs. of casein hydrolysate increased both the wet and the dry wts.; with the highest concs. the dry wt. increase was relatively greater than the wet wt. increase, thus giving a steady increase in the percentage of dry matter; embryos grown in vitro weighed more than the original embryos at the start; and the artificially cultivated embryos were heavier than they would have been if left to grow on the plant for the same period. Similar results were obtained with water extracts of dates and bananas, wheat gluten hydrolysate, lactalbumin hydrolysate, milk, and tomato juice.

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