Electro-fused isolated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) gametes develop into multicellular structures.

The electrofusion-mediated fertilization of single egg cells of wheat with isolated individually selected wheat sperm cells was successfully carried out for the first time. On average the fusion frequency was 30% but under optimal conditions it was possible to reach as much as 55%. Two days after electric fusion 60% of the fusion products started to divide, 88.5% of them forming multicellular structures and in a few cases microcalluses. The culture of single unfertilized egg cells with or without the application of AC field and electric pulses induced no cell division. The egg cells and fusion products were cultured in a maize feeder-cell system.