ISHS Acta Horticulturae 545: V International Protea Research Symposium
BREEDING NEW LEUCADENDRON VARIETIES THROUGH INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDISATION |
| Authors: | R. Sedgley, B. Croxford, Y. Guijun |
| Keywords: | plant breeding, interpecific hybridisation, Leucadendron, pollen viability, pollen storage, seed germination |
| Abstract:
A Leucadendron breeding program was initiated in mid-1998 at the University of Western Australia with the support of a group of Australian protea growers and the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC). More than 300 different interspecific cross combinations from 81 genotypes of 23 species were hand pollinated in the 1998/1999 flowering seasons aiming at producing new cultivars suitable for Australian growing conditions. More than 1,500 flower heads were collected and about 16,000 hybrid seeds were extracted. Over 1,600 seedlings representing most cross combinations have been planted on growers’ properties over a range of soil types. A breeding protocol including, selection of parents, pollen collection, assessment and storage, isolation of female flowers, pollination and seed collection and germination has been developed and is presented in this paper. | |
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