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The origin of the sporophyte in land plants represents a fundamental phase in plant evolution. Today this subject is controversial, and scarcely considered in textbooks and journals of botany, in spite of its importance. There are two conflicting theories concerning the origin of the alternating generations in land-plants: the "antithetic" theory and the "homologous" theory. These have never been fully resolved, although, on the ground of the evidences on the probable ancestors of land plants, the antithetic theory is considered more plausible than the homologous theory. However, additional phylogenetic dilemmas are the evolution of bryophytes from algae and the transition from these first land plants to the pteridophytes. All these very large evolutionary jumps are discussed on the basis of the phyletic gradualist neo-Darwinian theory and other genetic evolutionary mechanisms.

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Callus cultures were initiated from micropropagated Artemisia absinthium plantlets on MS basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of BA, Kn, NAA, IAA and 2,4-D in combination or singly. Supplementing the medium with low doses of both BA in combination with NAA, and Kn in combination with NAA enhanced the growth rate of callus cultures. However, cultures grew slowly following the second subculture and the majority turned brown and died within the next month. Initiation of root and shoot primordia occured directly from leaf explants cultured on 1.81/~M 2,4-D, while adventitious shoot formation from callus was observed occasionally when BA was added to the medium in combination with IAA. Furthermore, medium containing 2.22 #M BA and 2.69 #M NAA stimulated both callus growth and organogenesis on some callus cultures derived from leaves and stems of young stock material. The best results were obtained with leaf explants. Cytological analysis of root meristems revealed that all regenerants were diploid (2n = 18), as expected.

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Embryos of Phaseolus coccineus in different stages of development (from 0.5 to 5 mm in length) were grown in vitro. Both intact embryos (with suspensor) and embryos deprived of suspensor were studied. It was found that removal of the suspensor has no effect on the development of embryos which have reached a length of 5 mm. With younger embryos, removal of the suspensor reduces embryo development, the negative effect being the greater the younger the embryo. It was shown that gibberellic acid (GA3) concentrations of 10(-8) to 10(-6)M can replace the suspensor in heart-shaped and early cotyledonary embryos (0.5 to 1.5 mm in length), whereas they reduce the development of suspensor-deprived embryos of later stages (embryos 2 to 3 mm in length) as compared with intact embryos of similar size grown on hormone-free medium. GA3 concentrations of 10(-5) and 10(-4)M are generally inhibitory and may stimulate callus formation in some embryos. The present data and those of Alpi et al. (1975) concur in ascribing a major role to gibberellins in characterizing the physiological function of the suspensor in early embryogenesis in Phaseolus coccineus.

Data are presented on the cytokinin status of seeds and seed components, at different stages of development in Phaseolus coccineus L., as determined with the soybean callus growth bioassay: A change in cytokinin types according to developmental stage occurred: from biologically very active less polar types (zeatin=Z) at early stages to more polar types (zeatin glucoside=Z9G and zeatin riboside=Zr), with relatively low biological activity, at intermediate and late stages of seed development: When cytokinins were analyzed separately in embryos (embryo proper) and suspensors at two embryonic stages: heart-shaped (A) and middle cotyledonary embryos (stage B) respectively, it was found that: i) at stage A, the suspensor showed cytokinin activity at the level of Z, 2iPA (2-isopentenyladenosine) and Zr, whereas more polar cytokinins (Z9G, Zr) were present in the embryo; ii) at stage B, when the embryo seems to become autonomous for cytokinin supply, there was a relative abundance of active cytokinins (Z, 2iPA) in the embryo to which Z9G activity in the suspensor corresponded. It is concluded that the suspensor plays an essential role in embryogenesis by acting as a hormone source to the early embryo.