The selection of variant lines in plant cell cultures has expanded to such an extent that it is no longer easy to review the subject in its entirety. The most recent and comprehensive review1 covers the variant cell lines which had been described by the beginning of 1979. The purpose of this report is to look at the progress in the selection of cell lines resistant to various environmental stresses. The rationale behind the selection of this kind of variant is generally practical, the objective bei11g to obtain cultivars of crop plants with a greater tolerance to adverse climatic o~ soil conditions. A further potential value of resistant cell lines for studies on the nature of stress sensitivity and resistance will also be emphasise-d here. Cell lines resistant to several different stresses have been described and these are considered in the following sections.