Induction of pollen embryogenesis in seven cultivars of Prunus armeniaca L.

Haploids and doubled haploids (DHs), very important for their potential use in breeding and genetic analysis, can be induced mainly by two strategies, i.e. by regeneration from the female gamete or from the male gamete. Microspore embryogenesis through in vitro anther culture is a widely used method to obtain haploidization. In this research, the first stages of the gametic embryogenesis through the anther culture of seven apricot genotypes have been described and characterized through microscopical analysis, carried out at different times of culture. The switch of the developmental microspore programme from the gamethophytic to the sporophytic pathway has been indicated by the presence of multicellular pollen, proembryos and globular embryos in the in vitro system.