Increased   efficiency   of interspecific hybrids by embryo rescue in crosses between L . esculentum and L . peruvianum Sánchez - Donaire 1 , A . , Encina 2 , C . L . , Cuartero 2 , J . , Guerra - Sanz 1 , J . M . 1) C . I . F . H . Almería . - P . O . Box 91, EL EJIDO (Almería . - Spain) 2) La Mayora, CSIC . Algarrobo - Costa . - Malaga . - Spain e - mail: jmguerra@arrakis . es   Procedures for hybridization between domestic tomato varieties and L . peruvianum have to be improved to make easier use of the great diversity of genes belonging to peruviamun complex . Although procedures to avoid incompatibility barriers have been described, mainly using in vitro culture of the embryos and ovules (Imanishi, 1991;   LanZhuang & Adachi, 1991; Imanishi et al . , 1996; Doganlar et al . , 1997; Sacks et al . , 1998),   the number of hybrid plants obtained have been   always low . Therefore the objective of the present work was to improve the methodology to get a high number of hybrid plants by embryo rescue following crosses between L . esculentum and L . peruvianum .   Two accessions of L . peruvianum (LA 1278 and LA 98) from TGRC (Dr . R . Chetelat, Univ . Of California, Davis, USA), and two varieties of L . esculentum (Muchamiel and Moneymaker) from "La Mayora" (Dr . J . Cuartero) were used . Plants from those genotypes have been grown under greenhouse conditions and kept until flowering and harvesting under optimal nutritional conditions . Manual crosses have been carried out using L peruvianum as pollen donor and L . esculentum as pollen receptor . Pollen from each genotype was collected by breaking and mixing at least ten mature anther cones in a Petri dish . The flower of the female partner was emasculated just before anthesis . Pollination was made by rubbing the pollen obtained on the surface of the stigma of the emasculated flower .   At least four fruits of each cross were harvested between 30 to 45 days after pollination . The fruits were surface - sterilized by 10 minutes immersion in 97% ethanol, left to dry out inside the flow bench and dissected under sterile conditions . Embryos were selected, only those cultures that were bigger, green (the majority appeared white) and with plump appearance were chosen for culture . A superficial cut was done with the scalpel on the embryo coat in the zone of the cotyledons and passed immediately into Petri dishes containing OMS medium (Finer, 1987):   MS (Murashige & Skoog, 1962) mineral salts and