Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 3:34 (article 19) 1980
J. D. Norton
Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36830
Due to embryo abortion in greenhouse crosses, embryo culture was utilized to produce plants from the Cucumis metuliferus x C. melo cross. Although fruit appeared to develop normally in the C. anguria x C. melocross, the embryos aborted before the fruit matured.
Plants of C. melo (PI 140471) and C. metuliferus (PI 292190) were grown in a growth chamber at 26°C day and 14°C night temperature with a 12 hr day. The growing media consisted of a peat, perlite, soil mixture, 1:1:1, in 30.5 cm clay pots. The plants were trellised on a 2.1 m x 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm wood stake in the center of each pot.
Fruit from controlled crosses were harvested at 5-day intervals beginning 15 days after pollination. Seed were surface sterilized and embryos were carefully removed in a contamination-free work area. The embryos were cultured on a pre-mixed, high salt Murashige and Skoog semi-solid medium plus thiamine, pyridoxin, nicotinic acid, myo-inositol, naphthalene acetic acid, kinetin and sucrose. The embryos remained dormant from two days to two weeks. After the radicle emerged as a root, the plumule would develop green color.
After six to eight weeks, growth of the embryos was adequate for transfer to a sterilized soil mixture in 10.2 cm peat pots. Later the plants were transferred to 30.5 cm clay pots and field plots.