Hybrid breeding of cauliflower using self-incompatibility and cytoplasmic male sterility

Abstract

Two self-sterility systems, self-incompatibility (SI) and cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) were used to verify their suitability for hybrid breeding of cauliflower. The possibility of reproduction of SI and CMS lines in isolation cages using insect pollinators were proved. The best results in reproduction of SI lines derived from the cultivar Montano were achieved by spraying with 3% NaCl solution in the evening and using bumblebees as pollinators. The mean weight of seeds per plant attained approximately 5 g. Two CMS lines bred from cultivars Brilant and Fortuna achieved seed set per plant after honeybee pollination with their fertile analogues 0.8 and 2.0 g, respectively. The yield of F1 seeds in hybridization experiment based on SI was 1.8 grams per plant of SI mother line. In hybridization based on CMS, the yield of F1 seeds per CMS plant was 2.3 grams. The F1 hybrid of SI line Montano × self-pollinating line from cv. Fortuna showed to be the best combination in a preliminary field trial.