Perl, A., Department of Fruit Tree Breeding and Genetics, The Volcani Center ARO, P.O. Box 6, Bet-Dagan, 50250, Israel
Saad, S., Department of Fruit Tree Breeding and Genetics, The Volcani Center ARO, P.O. Box 6, Bet-Dagan, 50250, Israel
Sahar, N., Department of Fruit Tree Breeding and Genetics, The Volcani Center ARO, P.O. Box 6, Bet-Dagan, 50250, Israel
Holland, D., Department of Fruit Tree Breeding and Genetics, The Volcani Center ARO, P.O. Box 6, Bet-Dagan, 50250, Israel

A regeneration protocol, that will enable a transfer from a differentiated stage to a dedifferentiated stage and vice versa, is highly important for the development of genetic transformation systems for grape. Somatic embryogenesis and subsequent diploid plants have been obtained from anthers of Vitis vinifera commercial seedless cultivars. So far these cultivars were considered as recalcitrant to embryogenesis and long-term maintenance of their embryogenic cell lines was never reported. Anthers produce embryogenic calli when cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 6-benzyladenine. Embryos were formed and maintained upon transfer to a MS medium supplemented with indole-3-aspartic acid and 2-naphthoxyacetic acid. A synergistic effect was observed while combining these two auxins. Recallusing was achieved when a single embryo was transferred to MS medium supplemented with indole-3-aspartic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Abscisic acid was found to play a major role in the long-term maintenance of this callus. Germination and plantlet formation was characterized by a high frequency of abnormal vitrified plants. Conversion into morphological normal plants was achieved by rooting the abnormal plantlets on MS medium supplemented with α-naphthalenacetic acid. © 1995.