12 April 2001 Agriculture Minister Kim Chance said today the development of superior cereal varieties for growers would be accelerated with the opening of new biotechnology laboratories at Agriculture Western Australia. This accelerated the release of new varieties to growers by three years. Mr Chance stressed that double haploid plants were not genetically modified. While it will be some time before we see the results of this new doubled haploid work we can be assured of positive results for the State's wheat and barley growers in the years ahead. The new laboratories replace facilities that were situated at the University of Western Australia's Field Station at Shenton Park.
Doubled haploids are plants generated directly from pollen or egg cells using plant tissue culture.
Pollen and egg cells, referred to as haploid, contain only half the chromosome complement of normal cells. Plants generated from haploid cells are sterile and will not seed. However, if the chromosomes of a haploid plant are doubled, the normal chromosome number is restored and the plant will be fully fertile. Such plants are called double haploid. Electronic jpg photographs available on request.