Embryo rescue in plants -- a review

The plant breeders usually rescue inherently weak, immature or hybrid embryos to prevent degeneration . The successful production of plants from the cultured embryos largely depends upon the maturation stage and the composition of the medium . Abortion of embryos at one or the other stage of development is a characteristic feature of distant hybridization . For the first time successful embryo culture to obtain an interspecific cross between Linum perenne x L. austriacum was demonstrated by Laibach (1925, 1929). Since then several refinements have been made in embryo culture/embryo rescue techniques which have been a popular approach for raising hybrids from a number of incompatible crosses . Currently embryo rescue holds great promise not only for effecting wide crosses, but also for obtaining plants from inherently weak embryos, obtaining haploid plants as well as for shortening the breeding cycle.