The aim of the study was to induce somaclonal variability in the callus culture of L. hirsutum f. typicum and L. chilense and to characterize them in respect to tolerance to salinity. Callus was initiated on the cotyledon fragments grown on the medium supplemented with NAA and BAP. The tolerance of callus to salt was tested on MS media containing NaCl in concentration 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 mM. Callus tolerant to 100 mM NaCl was next regenerated by ten weeks on the media with different doses of growth regulators. After this time genetic differences between selected fragments and control (MS medium containing no growth regulators) were determining using ISSR-PCR method. The results show that NaCl concentration significantly affects the regeneration of callus in L. hirsutum f. typicum and L. chilense. The dose 200 mM NaCl of the medium results, in both species, in callus dying. Comparing the genetic similarity of examined callus samples with the control ones in both species, it may be stated that the differences in their response to NaCl and applied growth regulators were generally in the range 2–30%.

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