Interspecific Trifolium hybrids produced by embryo and ovule culture

• Published in: Crop science Vol. 30; no. 5
• Main Authors: Ferguson, N.H, Rupert, E.A, Evans, P.T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.1990
• Subjects: CULTIVO DE EMBRIONES; CULTIVO DE OVULOS; CULTURE D'EMBRYON; CULTURE D'OVULE; EMBRIONES VEGETALES; EMBRYON VEGETAL; HIBRIDACION INTERESPECIFICA; HIBRIDOS; HYBRIDATION INTERSPECIFIQUE; HYBRIDE; NOMBRE CHROMOSOMIQUE; NUMERO DE CROMOSOMAS; POLIPLOIDIA; POLYPLOIDIE; REGENERACION; REGENERATION; TRIFOLIUM; TRIFOLIUM HYBRIDUM; TRIFOLIUM NIGRESCENS; TRIFOLIUM REPENS
• ISSN: 0011-183X; 1435-0653
• DOI: 10.2135/cropsci1990.0011183X003000050039x

White or ladino clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important forage or legume worldwide. However, lack of drought tolerance and disease resistance limit its usefulness. Although other Trifolium species express these traits, routine crossing to develop interspecific hybrids and introduce desirable traits has achieved limited success. The objective of this work was to culture embryos and ovules to rescue hybrids and regenerate plants in new interspecific hybrid combinations. A media regime is described that is generally useful with Trifolium hybrid embryos at the torpedo stage or later. Novel interspecific combinations include T. ambiguum Bieb. with T. montanum L. and T. occidentale Coombe; T. isthmocarpum Brot. with T. repens and T. nigrescens Viv.; a trihybrid, designated RUO, of T. repens, T. uniflorum L., and T. occidentale with hexaploid T. ambiguum. The RUO-T. ambiguum hybrid was produced in several genotypic combinations, one of which bloomed and yielded viable pollen. Interspecific hybridization in Trifolium offers a route to enhancement of forage germplasm by introducing traits that increase longevity while maintaining the superior forage quality of T. repens