The third
factor involves the different culture conditions necessary
to transform a microspore/pollen grain into a DH.
These conditions include the physical and chemical
environment of the in vitro culture, and most importantly,
the initial treatment necessary to induce the
developmental switch of the microspore/pollen. Generally,
this treatment is characterized by the application
of a stressing agent that forces the microspore to
change towards a different developmental pathway
(reviewed in Shariatpanahi et al. 2006). These three
parameters must be optimized in order to obtain an
efficient protocol. In many economically important
crops, the lack of information on these three parameters
represents a serious drawback to overcome in
order to obtain a reliable and efficient method for
androgenesis induction and DH generation. This is the
case of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.).