Embryo Culture

Embryo mortality and seed failure associated with embryo development are most common reasons for failure of interspecific hybridization due to incompatability. In such instances, fertilization and zygote formation may not suffer but embryo development does not take place and seeds are aborted.

Tissue culture technique can rescue such embryos - wherein the embryos are carefully separated and grown under tissue culture methods and desirable progenies are allowed to be transformed into hybrids. Inter specific hybridization between common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and wild species (Phaseolus angustissimus) to achieve disease resistance and hybrids between tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) and its wild relative (Lycopersicum peruvianum) to improve vitamin C content are some notable examples of embryos rescued by such techniques.

Mutation and Mutants

Mutations by use of chemical mutagens can be induced at cell level during the tissue culture and beneficial mutants could be used to desirable plants. Mutant cells can result into mutant plants and if they carry desirable characters, they could be used for further breeding processes. On the similar lines, herbicides, salts are added to nutrient medium and their resistance is tested. Surviving cells showing resistance to herbicides and salts could be grown by tissue culture methods and serve as resistant parents in breeding programmes.