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Development of colchicine‐induced tetraploid St. Augustinegrass ( Stenotaphrum secundatum ) lines
Author(s) -
Carbajal Esdras M.,
Zuleta M. Carolina,
Swayzer Luellen,
Schwartz Brian M.,
Chavarro Maria Carolina,
BallenTaborda A. Carolina,
MillaLewis Susana R.
Publication year - 2019
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/pbr.12742
Subject(s) - biology , cultivar , selfing , colchicine , ploidy , doubled haploidy , hybrid , horticulture , botany , germplasm , genetics , population , demography , sociology , gene
St. Augustinegrass is well suited for lawns and commercial landscapes. While many genotypes are cross‐fertile, all cultivars are propagated vegetatively in sod production. To ensure varietal purity, development of sterile triploid hybrids by crossing tetraploid and diploid genotypes has been successfully used in other warm‐season turfgrasses. Applying this model in St. Augustinegrass would be beneficial to sod producers and turf managers who require purity for certification and uniformity for performance, respectively. This study was conducted to develop colchicine‐induced tetraploid lines of St. Augustinegrass. Seeds of cultivar ‘Raleigh’ were treated with four colchicine concentrations at four exposure times. A non‐treated control was included among the treatments. Seedlings that germinated were screened for genome size changes using flow cytometry. Line DSA 13005 and two progeny lines derived through selfing, DSA 16001 and DSA 16016, were corroborated as tetraploids (2 n = 4 x = 36) through chromosome counts. These lines will be used in future breeding efforts to attempt development of sterile triploid cultivars of St. Augustinegrass.