Life Cycle of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Plant in Vitro.

Alteration of generations in peanut plants was examined by the culturing of seeds. Flowers were induced in more than 50% of the seed cultures in vitro. Benzyl aminopurine stimulated the rate of flower induction most among the factors examined. Development of pegs was stimulated by gibberellic acid given after flowering. Dark culture allowed the development of ovaries in pegs to immature seeds and then to mature seeds; with this, the life cycle of the peanut plant was complete. Mature seeds excised from the original cultures germinated normally in vitro, and the cotyledonary nodes proliferated multiple shoots on shoot-forming medium. Alteration of generations and the in vitro omission of certain steps of the life cycle in plants are discussed.