This article throws light upon the limitations of haploid plants.
It has been possible to raise several haploid plants through anther cultures. However, haploid breeding programmes have not yielded the expected and desired results, despite heavy investments made during the past 3 decades.
There are many problems encountered with haploid production.
Some of them are listed below:
1. The frequency of haploid production is very low, hence selection is often difficult.
2. The operation of tissue culture to develop haploids requires high level expertise and management.
3. Besides haploids, different ploidy levels are also produced.
4. Haploids with deleterious traits frequently develop in cultures.
5. The callus derived from anther culture is usually detrimental to haploid production.
6. Isolation of haploids from cultures is often difficult since polyploids outgrow haploids.
7. The embryos derived from haploids often get aborted.
8. Haploid production is associated with high incidence of albino (colourless) plants.
9. The doubling of haploids (diploidization) may not always lead to the formation of homozygous plant.
10. In vitro haploid production is not economically viable due to very low success rate.