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Use of Partially Male‐Sterile Perennial Ryegrass for Hybrid Cultivar Production 1
Author(s) -
Ahloowalia B. S.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1981.0011183x002100030015x
Subject(s) - perennial plant , biology , lolium perenne , sterility , cultivar , hybrid , lolium multiflorum , agronomy , ploidy , poaceae , reciprocal cross , botany , genetics , gene
The possibility of breeding ryegrass hybrid varieties based on partial male‐sterility was investigated. Frequency of hybridization between perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L., and annual ryegrass, L. multiflorum Lam., was determined by using two partially male‐sterile perennial ryegrass genotypes. Clones of a desynaptic diploid (2n = 14) and a trisomic (2n = 15) perennial ryegrass plant were inter‐pollinated with annual ryegrass plants having the dominant markers fluorescent‐roots and awned‐florets. The progeny of perennial × annual ryegrass showed fluorescent‐roots and all except two plants had awned‐florets, suggesting 100% hybridization on inter‐pollination. In the reciprocal crossings, annual × perennial ryegrass, hybridization frequency approached 100% with the trisomic pollinator, but was only 29% with the perennial desynaptic pollinator. Although most F 1 plants were fertile and had good seed set, mortality in F 2 and back‐crosses was high. It was concluded that partially male‐sterile genotypes can be used for the production of hybrid ryegrass cultivars.