The inhertitance patterns in rutin content, self-compatibility, winged seed, and seed shattering in hybrids between F. homotropicum OHNISHI and F. esculentum MOENCH

Yingjie Wang¹, Clayton G. Campbell¹ and Ping Jiang²

¹ Kade Research Ltd. 135 13 Street, Morden, Manitoba, Canada R6M 1E9 ² University of Manitoba, Department of Pharmacy, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2

Yingjie Wang, Clayton G. Campbell and Ping Jiang. 2004. The inheritance patterns in rutin content, self-compatibility, winged seed, and seed shattering in hybrids between F. homotropicum Ohnishi and F. esculentum Moench. Advances in Buckwheat Research, Ninth International Symposium on Buckwheat, Prague, Czech Republic. pp. 241-251

Abstract:A line of Fagopyrum homotropicum K970851, selected from a single seed, was found to have some desirable characters including high rutin content and a non-shattering seed habit. This line was used to improve buckwheat through hybridization with common buckwheat (F. esculentum) and self-pollinating buckwheat (F. homotropicumF. esculentum). The resulting hybrids were found to be more difficult to produce than the hybrids between F. homotropicum and F. esculentum in previous reports. The low crossability and reduced hybrid fertility were taken as evidence of genetic variation within F. homotropicum. The rutin content in the F1 hybrids were 1.57 and 5.06 times higher than their low parents and 3.33 and16.30 times higher than in the cultivated common buckwheat variety Koto. The highest rutin content found in the F2 was 9.38 which was 34.92 times higher than in Koto, indicating the possibility of the improvement of rutin content in either cultivated common buckwheat or self-pollinated buckwheat. However, the segregation distortion found in the F2, producing a predominantly low rutin content, might be related to unbalanced gamete production in the interspecific hybrids and would require more breeding effort to improve this character. Unexpected segregation patterns in the hybrids were also observed in three other characters; self compatibility, winged seed, and seed shattering. The segregation patterns fit three complementary genes for self-compatibility and four complementary genes for winged seed and seed shattering, respectively. Further genetic studies using homozygous self-pollinating parents assisted by molecular markers will be undertaken to confirm the inheritance of these characters and to assist further buckwheat improvement.

Key words: rutin, F.esculentum, F homotropicum, shattering habit, self-compatibility