Abstract: To get haploid plants by means of anther culture is one kind of new bi otechnology, which can shorten the breeding period. Now it has been widely applied in breeding of maize ([WTBX]Zea mays[WTBZ] L.). The current advances in anther culture, haploid breeding and gene engineering of maize are reviewed. The various factors that affect the efficiency of anther culture of maize and the potential applications of haploid plants in gene transformation are discussed.