Publication Date
1993
Description
Brachiaria is a tropical grass genus recently introduced on the American continent. Two species are widely sown as pastures in Brazil, n. decumbens (D) cv. Basilisk, and n. brizantha (B) cv. Marandu. These 2 cultivars behave as obligate apomicts (APO), therefore impairing direct hybridisation. A breeding programme was started al the National Center for Research in Beef Callie (CNPGCEMBRAPA), Campo Grande, MS, Brazil in 1988, with the objeclive of obtaining apomictic hybrids with the growth habit and adaptation lo poor soils of D, resistance lo spilllebugs (Homoplera:Cercopidae) of B using sexual B. mzil:iensis (R) as mother plant. R has good nutritive value and synchronised flowering. lnterspecific crosses were accomplished using artificially induced tetraploids of R (Sex) as mother plants in vases in the gre enhouse and pollen from Apo, B and D, First-generation hybrids showed wide morphological variation. Segregation for mode of reproduction did not significantly differ from a 1:1 proportion e11pecled for monogenic control. Second generation hybrids are under evaluation to further establish inheritance of apomixis. Crossing ability and overlapping morphology of hybrids offer further evidences of phylogenetic affinity among R, B and D.
Citation
Do Valle, C B.; Gilenke, C; and Leguizamon, G.O C., "Breeding of Apomictic Brachiaria through Interspecific Hybridisation" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 51.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session12/51
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Breeding of Apomictic Brachiaria through Interspecific Hybridisation
Brachiaria is a tropical grass genus recently introduced on the American continent. Two species are widely sown as pastures in Brazil, n. decumbens (D) cv. Basilisk, and n. brizantha (B) cv. Marandu. These 2 cultivars behave as obligate apomicts (APO), therefore impairing direct hybridisation. A breeding programme was started al the National Center for Research in Beef Callie (CNPGCEMBRAPA), Campo Grande, MS, Brazil in 1988, with the objeclive of obtaining apomictic hybrids with the growth habit and adaptation lo poor soils of D, resistance lo spilllebugs (Homoplera:Cercopidae) of B using sexual B. mzil:iensis (R) as mother plant. R has good nutritive value and synchronised flowering. lnterspecific crosses were accomplished using artificially induced tetraploids of R (Sex) as mother plants in vases in the gre enhouse and pollen from Apo, B and D, First-generation hybrids showed wide morphological variation. Segregation for mode of reproduction did not significantly differ from a 1:1 proportion e11pecled for monogenic control. Second generation hybrids are under evaluation to further establish inheritance of apomixis. Crossing ability and overlapping morphology of hybrids offer further evidences of phylogenetic affinity among R, B and D.