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Yield performance of interspecific F 1 hybrids of the greek mountain tea, Sideritis spp. L.
Author(s) -
Goliaris A. H.,
Roupakias D. G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
plant breeding
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1439-0523
pISSN - 0179-9541
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0523.1997.tb01037.x
Subject(s) - biology , hybrid , interspecific competition , interspecific hybrids , dry weight , botany , horticulture , yield (engineering) , materials science , metallurgy
Interspecific F 1 hybrids were produced after artificial intercrossing of six Sideritis species indigenous to Greece, namely: S. athoa, S. euboea, S. syriaca, S. raeseri, S. scardica, S. clandestina and a cultivated clone of S. raeseri. It was found that all species cross with each other, but the level of crossability varied with the cross‐combination. In the yield evaluation experiments, the interspecific hybrids with a common female parent were considered as a group. It was observed that yield during the year of establishment was relatively low, but the interspecific hybrids out‐yielded the control in both fresh and dry weight. All hybrids produced higher yields in the following years and their productivity started to decline after the fifth year. All hybrids produced higher yields than the control in all six years of the experiment. The highest yield over the years, in fresh and dry weight, was produced by the group Sideritis raeseri cultivated clone (cc) × Sideritis spp. This yield, however, was not always significantly different from the yield produced by the second in the rank group ( S. clandestina × Sideritis spp.). A high correlation (r > 0.99) between fresh and dry weight was observed. The two groups with the highest yield also had the highest essential oil content. In addition, all the interspecific hybrids had a higher essential oil content than the control species. Furthermore, the essential oil content of the selected individual hybrid plants ranged between the midparental value to a value higher than the high‐parental species, indicating an additive and dominance gene action. It was also found that the content of the essential oil in the seven most important components (pinene, lemonene, cynene, menthone, copaene, caryophyllene and valerianic ester) varied from hybrid to hybrid. Given that Sideritis reproduces mainly asexually, the direct use of individual interspecific hybrids with higher yield and content in essential oil than the control species is possible in cultivation.