Summary
Soft winter wheat lines were crossed with Agropyron intermedium, A. elongatum and A. trichophorum using pollen from single plants of Agropyron spp. to pollinate wheat spikes. Not only species but also individual plants within varieties of Agropyron species differed in percent seed set with a wheat genotype. In two arrays of crosses between two phenotypically different plants of A. elongatum and nine wheat lines, one Agropyron plant gave higher seed set (overall=27.1%) than the other (overall=3.7%). The differences were significant in seven of the nine cross combinations. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that these two plants differ in their crossability as pollen parents with wheat, and suggest the possibility of occurrence of crossability genes in wheatgrasses. The success rate of hybrid embryo rescue was higher (87.5%) with cold treatment (4°C) than without cold treatment (75.0%) of excised embryos on culture media. Results underscore the significance of genotype of the alien species for crossing with low crossable wheats, and of the physical factors for improving embryo rescue in wide crosses.
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Contribution No. 11,825, Purdue Agric. Exp. Stn., West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA. The research was supported in part by Public Varieties of Indiana.
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Sharma, H.C., Ohm, H.W. Crossability and embryo rescue enhancement in wide crosses between wheat and three Agropyron species. Euphytica 49, 209–214 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00036290
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00036290