Efficient regeneration of plants independent of exogeneous growth regulators in bell pepper (Capsicum annumm L.).

Organogenesis of shoots of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was achieved in fourteen cultivars on Murashige and Skoog's medium (MS medium) supplemented only with 0.4% (w/v) Gellan gum (pH 5.8). Mature seeds of cv. Shinsakigake-2 were sown on filter paper that had been wetted with sterilized water and precultured for zero to five days in under 16 hr of light per day at 25 °C. Explants, consisting of the proximal part of the hypocotyl and the radicle, were excised from the seeds and formed adventitious buds around the cut surfaces of elongated hypocotyls after four weeks of culture. When explants were subcultured on MS medium, 57% of the explants that had produced adventitious buds extended shoots after an additional three weeks of culture. Shoots were rooted on MS medium after two further weeks of culture. Chromosome numbers of all 30 regenerated plants that weexamined were normal (2n=24). The morphology of the mature plants was also normal and they set normally shaped fruits with mature seeds. Regenerated whole plants were also obtained in the case of 13 other cultivars by applying this simple procedure.