OCCURRENCE OF SPONTANEOUS TRIPLOIDS FROM SMALL SEEDS OF ‘HERNANDINA’ CLEMENTINE

Seedlessness is one of the main goals in Citrus breeding programs, because seedness is not accepted by the fresh fruit market.
Triploids in Citrus are taken into consideration by breeders since their fruits are seedless.
Several breeding strategies, based on conventional and innovative methods, were developed for the triploid production.
Occasional triploid (2n=3x=27) offspring had been selected from conventional diploid crosses 2x×2x. Several researchers (Esen and Soost, 1971, 1973; Geraci et al., 1975) showed that triploid progenies are more likely to be found in small seeds of monoembryonic cultivars.
‘Hernandina’ is a spontaneous mutation of ‘Fina’ clementine (Citrus clementine Hort. ex Tan.) with seedy fruits when cultivated in presence of compatible genotypes.
In this study, small and normal open-pollinated seeds of ‘Hernandina’ were germinated in vitro and seedling ploidy was determined by flow cytometry analyses.
Out of 65 samples analysed obtained from small seed germination, 4.6% resulted triploids.
Triploid plants have been acclimatized in ex vitro conditions.

II International Symposium on Citrus Biotechnology

D. Padoan, B. Chiancone, M.A. Germanà

Citrus, flow cytometry, seedlessness, triploidy

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.892.34