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Production of interspecific hybrids between Allium fistulosum L. and A. macrostemon Bunge through ovary culture

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Abstract

Interspecific hybridization is an effective method to generate a new crop in a short time that exhibits available traits. Nine interspecific hybrids between Allium fistulosum and A. macrostemon were produced through reciprocal crossings by ovary culture. This is the first report of hybrid development in the cross-combination. When A. macrostemon, a vegetative propagated plant, was used as the mother plant, no hybrid was obtained, but it was obtained by removal of bulbils and separation of the flower stalk, as with cut flowers. Ovary culture was performed on phytohormone-free B5 medium modified by Dunstan and Short (BDS) medium containing 30 g l−1 sucrose 7 days after pollination. Germinated embryos were transferred to BDS medium containing 1 mg l−1 6-benzylaminopurine and 15 g l−1 sucrose for 21 days. The plantlets were subcultured on phytohormone-free B5 medium for subsequent rooting. Hybridity was confirmed using cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence analysis of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer region and chromosome observation. In addition, the hybrids showed intermediate traits: they had fistulous leaves like those of A. fistulosum and bulbs like those of A. macrostemon. They displayed vigorous growth and propagated vegetatively by tillering. These results show the important discovery that vegetatively propagated plants are useful for cross breeding.

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Abbreviations

6BAP:

6-Benzylaminopurine

BDS medium:

B5 medium modified by Dunstan and Short (1977)

CAPS:

Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences

ITS:

Internal transcribed spacer

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Fukuoka Agricultural Research Center, Yoshiki 587, Chikushino, Fukuoka, 818-8549, Japan

    Mikihisa Umehara & Takao Nakahara

  2. Department of Vegetable Breeding, Fukuoka Agricultural Research Center, Yoshiki 587, Chikushino, Fukuoka, 818-8549, Japan

    Takayuki Sueyoshi & Katsumi Shimomura

Authors
  1. Mikihisa Umehara
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  2. Takayuki Sueyoshi
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  3. Katsumi Shimomura
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  4. Takao Nakahara
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Correspondence to Mikihisa Umehara.

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Umehara, M., Sueyoshi, T., Shimomura, K. et al. Production of interspecific hybrids between Allium fistulosum L. and A. macrostemon Bunge through ovary culture. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 87, 297–304 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-006-9167-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-006-9167-2

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