ABSTRACT
Protoplast fusion and somatic hybridisation have opened up a new avenue in plant science. It is a well-known fact that the somatic hybridisation in plants can be used in the improvement of plants. The main objective of protoplast fusion and somatic hybridisation was to overcome the prefertilisation barrier to sexual incompatibility or any genomic incompatibility. Therefore, it would be undoubtedly expected to achieve very wide crosses through protoplast fusion and it will solve many problems relating to crop improvement. The development of hybrid cells followed by the generation of hybrid plants requires a clear proof of genetic contribution from both the parental protoplasts. Irradiation and microprotoplast production fragment the nuclear genome, whereas iodoacetamide inactivates the cytoplasmic genome. It can therefore be used to introduce cytoplasmic male sterility, an important practical application. For hybrid verification and genome characterisation, molecular markers and cytogenetic techniques are applied.
