ISHS Acta Horticulturae 570: VIII International Symposium on Flowerbulbs
A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS IN LACHENALIA (HYACINTHACEAE) |
| Authors: | H. du Preez, J.J. Spies, R. Kleynhans |
| Keywords: | Cytogenetics, interspecific hybrids, Lachenalia. |
| Abstract:
Lachenalia is a bulbous geophyte mainly found in the western parts of southern Africa and especially in the ‘fynbos’ and Namaqualand regions of the Western Cape Province. These plants are very well adapted to their environment. The genus Lachenalia encompasses a great deal of variation. The ARC started with a breeding programme in 1966, in order to produce better flowers and bigger leaves and to provide for the ever-increasing demand for pot plant and flower production. This study was done to determine the effect of interspecific hybridization on the genetic constitution of hybrids between Lachenalia unicolor and four other species. The cytogenetic study shows that all the species used and their hybrids have somatic chromosome numbers of 2n = 2x = 16. The meiotic study indicates that the genomic constitutions of these species correspond to such an extent that chromosome pairing still occurs. The chiasma frequencies of the hybrids are usually slightly lower than in the parental species, thus indicating that these species are closely related. | |
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