Cytology and reproduction of reciprocal backcrosses between pearl millet and sexual and apomictic hybrids of pearl millet x Pennisetum squamulatum
Journal Article
·
· Crop Sci.; (United States)
Interspecific hybrids (2n = 41) between pearl millet, Pennisetum americanum L. Leeke (2n = 4x = 28), and P. squamulatum Fresen (2n = 6x = 54) were used as pollen and maternal parents and backcrossed (BC) to pearl millet to determine the potential for germplasm exchange and for transfer of apomixis to pearl millet. Backcrosses to diploid pearl millet (2n = 14) resulted in 12 28- or 27-chromosome male and female-sterile plants from more than 600 pollinated inflorescences. Backcrosses to tetraploid pearl millet (2n = 4x = 28) resulted in 2830 BC/sub 1/ progenies. These BC/sub 1/ progenies had somatic chromosome numbers ranging from 2n = 32 to 2n = 39 with a mode of 2n = 35 chromosomes. They were perennial and more closely resembled pearl millet in morphological characteristics than did the original interspecific hybrids. Meiosis was irregular with a mean of 4.88 bivalents. Univalents, trivalents, quadrivalents, and other multivalents were present in all microsporocytes. Eighty-four percent of these plants did not shed pollen and the remaining 16% were semi-sterile with pollen stainability ranging up to 6.6%. Among 177 semi-sterile BC/sub 1/ plants resulting from crosses with highly apomictic F/sub 1/ hybrids as pollen parents, 55 progenies showed only apomictic embryo sac development. Seed set ranged from 0 to 14 seed per head under open-pollination. Similar chromosome behavior and fertility as above were observed in progeny from reciprocal backcrosses between the sexual interspecific hybrids and diploid or tetrapolid pearl millet. The production of partially male-fertile apomictic BC/sub 1/ plants should make it possible to continue gene transfer from P. squamulatum to pearl millet in succeeding generations. 8 references, 1 figure, 2 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Georgia, Tifton
- DOE Contract Number:
- AS09-76EV00637
- OSTI ID:
- 5943936
- Journal Information:
- Crop Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: Crop Sci.; (United States) Vol. 25; ISSN CRPSA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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