ISOLATION OF A GLYCEROL-UTILIZING MUTANT OF NICOTIANA TABACUM

R. S. Chaleff ¹ and M. F. Parsons ²

¹ Department of Plant Breeding, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
² Department of Biometry, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

Although normal tobacco cell cultures cannot grow on glycerol as the sole carbon source, a spontaneous mutant cell line capable of utilizing glycerol has been isolated. Plants have been regenerated from this mutant cell line, and the results of preliminary genetic analyses are reported. The mutation appears to be specific for glycerol in that it does not alter the capability for callus growth on several other sugars tested.