T HIS WORK was carried out during 2011- 2015 in the laboratories of Cell Research Department (CRD), Field Crops Research Institute (FCRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, as well as, in the greenhouse of Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Egypt, to study the variation among canola varieties in response to salt tolerance through tissue culture propagation. This work was aimed to establish a regeneration protocol for canola genotypes, production of salt-tolerance plants through selection of salt-tolerance callus via somaclonal variation and subsequent regeneration of plantlets from such callus. Four genotypes of canola were used for establishment a regeneration protocol, Bingo and Torpe were uesed as highly salt tolerant genotypes while, Conny and Siberian as susceptible genotypes. The results indicated that MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l 2,4-D was the successive medium for callus formation and shoot regeneration was obtained from MS medium supplemented with 5 mg/l BA + 0.05 NAA, while, 1mg/l IBA was the better growth regulator for rooting.
For in vitro selection of salt tolerant calli, Torpe (genotype overcomes the others in calli survival percentages under 8000, 12000 and 16000 ppm NaCl concentrations. The results of shoot frequency from tolerant calli cleared that Torpe genotype recorded the highest value of shoot percentage followed by Bingo genotype, whereas, Conny followed by Siberian genotypes were recorded the lowest values. At 16000 ppm NaCl concentration, only tolerant calli of Torpe genotype was able to initiat shoot under this concentration. For acclamatization after regeneration from the tolerant calli, only five salt tolerant plantlets developed from Torpe genotype and eight salt tolerant plantlets developed from Siberian genotype that succeeded to complete their life cycle and reached maturity stage and produced seeds. These regenerated genotypes were referred as T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, the five regenerated plants developed from Torpe genotype that tolerate NaCl concentration up to 16000 ppm, as well as, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7 and S8, the eight regenerated plants developed from Siberian genotype that tolerate NaCl concentration up to 12000 ppm.