Osmotic Requirement for Shoot Formation in Tobacco Callus

Tobacco callus grown on medium containing 3% sucrose (w/v) shows optimum growth and produces the highest number of shoots; whereas cultures grown on medium with lower or higher sucrose levels show a reduced growth rate and capacity to form shoots. Cultures grown on a low sucrose containing medium produce a high number of shoots only if the medium is supplemented with mannitol to give the same water potential as that of the 3% sucrose medium. Mannitol cannot replace the sucrose requirement for growth. Increased levels of Bacto Agar, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and amino acids added to the medium do not promote shoot formation or replace the carbohydrate requirement for that process. The success in partially replacing the sucrose requirement for shoot formation with mannitol supports the view that part of the tissue carbohydrate is acting in an osmoregulatory role. This finding is further interpreted in terms of the hypothesis of turgor‐driven growth and cell expansion.