Cell suspensions were established from 12 rice genotypes including Indica type, Japonica type and cytoplasmic male sterile (cms) rice lines of both types. 133 green plants were regenerated from protoplasts isolated from an Indica type rice and 15 plants were obtained from a Japonica type cms rice. A cell suspension, from which protoplasts can be isolated (about 10(6)/ml) but from which cell division has not yet been induced, has been established from the most widely used Indica type cms rice which contains Wild Abortive (WA) cytoplasm.