PRELIMINARY IDENTIFICATION OF APOMICTIC SEEDLINGS OPUNTIA SPP. BREEDING POPULATIONS FROM CENTRAL MEXICO

Opuntia is endemic to Mexico but it is becoming an interesting alternative fruit and forage crop for other semiarid areas of the world.
Few varieties originated from Mexican germplasm support the world market.
Nopal is propagated asexually for commercial purposes but, seed propagation is essential for breeding.
A main constraint to breeding is apomixis, which has been reported in numerous Opuntia species including those of horticultural interest like O. ficus-indica. Apomixis difficults the screening of individuals obtained from crosses and complicates genetic studies.
Costs increase due to the number of extra individuals to be maintained in the nurseries diminishing the output of the breeding program.
In this paper we discuss the extent of apomixis in breeding populations, verification of their somatic origin.
The correlation to potential juvenile phenotypic markers to develop criteria for early separation of somatic seedlings is also presented.

IV International Congress on Cactus Pear and Cochineal

C. Mondragón-Jacobo

Apomixis, cactus pear, breeding.

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.581.9