Interspecific hybrids with Fagopyrum cymosum in the genus Fagopyrum

Sun Hee Woo¹, Ying Jie Wang² and Clayton G. Campbell²

¹ Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Crop Diversification Centre, Morden, Manitoba, Canada R6M 1Y5;² Kade Research Ltd. Morden, Manitoba, Canada R6M 1E9.

Sun Hee Woo, Ying Jie Wang and Clayton G. Campbell. 1999. Interspecific hybrids with Fagopyrum cymosum in the genus Fagopyrum. Fagopyrum 16: 13-18.

Abstract: Five interspecific hybrids were produced between Fagopyrum cymosum and other species (F. esculentum, F. tataricum, F. homotropicum, F. pilus, self-pollinating pin plants and self-pollinating homostyle plants of self- pollinating buckwheat) through embryo rescue. Interspecific hybridization with related perennial species would offer the opportunity to introgress perennial and other new, useful characters into F. esculentum. An in vitro embryo rescue procedure, developed previously to obtain interspecific hybrids of self-pollinating, was used in this study with modifications in two culture media. Hybrids embryos at the early heart stage were dissected from the embryo 5 and 7 days after pollination and cultivated in vitro. Hybrids plants were successfully more obtained by culturing the embryos on MS media supplemented with IAA (0.2 mg/l)+ BA (2 mg/l). The hybridity was confirmed by morphology analysis. The F₁ hybrid plants were partially fertile, late-maturing, and intermediate between the two parents with respect to characters such as flower shape and plant height. However, the rate of seed set was low. This new hybrid combination may be useful for the future improvement of self-pollinating buckwheat, if the sterility barrier can be overcome.

Key words: embryo rescue, Fagopyrum cymosum, F. homotropicum, F. tataricum, F. pilus, interspecific hybridization.