Title: Adventitious Shoot Induction and Plant Regeneration from Cotyledons of Mature Seed in Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.).
Abstract: Culture conditions of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) were investigated for the purpose of establishing an efficient plant regeneration system. Adventitious shoots were induced efficiently (50%) on MS medium containing 10mg/l IAA and 10mg/l BA. Cotyledon explants from young seedlings precultured for 3 days on MS medium containing 10mg/l IAA and 10mg/l BA or precultured for 1 day on MS medium without any phytohormone gave a high frequency of shoot formation (46% and 42%, respectively). The basal region of cotyledon showed higher frequency of shoot formation (55.3%) than the apical region (23.0%). Varietal differences were observed in the efficiency of shoot regeneration. Cultivar 'Kikodama' showed the highest frequency of shoot formation (68%).