Articles
ENHANCING WAXFLOWER BREEDING EFFICIENCY THROUGH EARLY EMBRYO RESCUE
Article number
829_26
Pages
183 – 187
Language
English
Abstract
Availability of new wild flowers is vital for the Australian cutflower industry to remain competitive.
The Innovative Plant Products Project at the Department of Agriculture and Food of Western Australia has been assisting the industry by breeding new varieties within the Chamelaucium alliance.
Nineteen new waxflower varieties have been released as cutflowers since the program started in 1995. In our breeding practice, we have found that both pre-zygotic and post-zygotic hybridisation barriers occur in intraspecific (within Chamelaucium uncinatum), interspecific (between Chamelaucium species), and intergeneric (between Chamelaucium and Verticordia species) crosses.
These barriers affect the success of breeding, with embryo losses as high as 100% in intergeneric hybridisation.
Wide hybridisations had much lower breeding success.
The embryo/cross ratios were 4.6%, 13.7%, and 33.1% for intergeneric, interspecific, and intraspecific crosses respectively, while the germinated embryo/cross ratios were 1.8%, 2.9%, and 14.6% for intergeneric, interspecific, and intraspecific crosses respectively.
The success rate of a cross between genotypes also depended on selection of mother plant and/or the father (pollen donor). To overcome wide hybridisation barriers, early embryo rescue (EER) has been applied.
The application of EER has also significantly shortened the time from crossing to seedlings being ready for planting.
The application of the EER technique has made waxflower breeding become more efficient and hundreds of new hybrids have been generated for evaluation.
The Innovative Plant Products Project at the Department of Agriculture and Food of Western Australia has been assisting the industry by breeding new varieties within the Chamelaucium alliance.
Nineteen new waxflower varieties have been released as cutflowers since the program started in 1995. In our breeding practice, we have found that both pre-zygotic and post-zygotic hybridisation barriers occur in intraspecific (within Chamelaucium uncinatum), interspecific (between Chamelaucium species), and intergeneric (between Chamelaucium and Verticordia species) crosses.
These barriers affect the success of breeding, with embryo losses as high as 100% in intergeneric hybridisation.
Wide hybridisations had much lower breeding success.
The embryo/cross ratios were 4.6%, 13.7%, and 33.1% for intergeneric, interspecific, and intraspecific crosses respectively, while the germinated embryo/cross ratios were 1.8%, 2.9%, and 14.6% for intergeneric, interspecific, and intraspecific crosses respectively.
The success rate of a cross between genotypes also depended on selection of mother plant and/or the father (pollen donor). To overcome wide hybridisation barriers, early embryo rescue (EER) has been applied.
The application of EER has also significantly shortened the time from crossing to seedlings being ready for planting.
The application of the EER technique has made waxflower breeding become more efficient and hundreds of new hybrids have been generated for evaluation.
Authors
F. Shan, K. Seaton
Keywords
Australian natives, Chamelaucium, Verticordia, interspecific hybridisation, intergeneric hybridisation
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