Izhar, S., Division of Plant Genetics and Breeding, Agricultural Research Organisation, Volcani Center, PO Box 6, Bet Dagan

CELL budding is a departure from normal cell division which occurs commonly in yeasts. The propagules of many fungi-conidia (for example in the Zygomycetales) and basidiospores (in the Basidiomycetes) - are formed in a similar way1. Here, I describe the occurrence, in vivo, of cell budding and fission in microspores of certain genetic lines of Petunia hybrida (Hook) Vilm. These phenomena have not previously been reported for microspores of higher plants, either in vivo or in anther culture. Other departures from the normal course of differentiation of the male gametophyte in higher plants are known2-5. © 1973 Nature Publishing Group.