INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS OF CYCLAMEN-PERSICUM MILL AND C-PURPURASCENS MILL PRODUCED BY OVULE CULTURE

Interspecific crosses were made to introduce the scent of flowers of C , purpurascens into C, persicum cultivars and ovule culture was used t o rescue the abortive hybrid embryos. Cultivars of C, persicum diploid (CPD, 2n = 2x = 48) and C. persicum tetraploid (CPT, 2n = 4x = 96) we re the pistillate parents and wild species of C. purpurascens (CP, 2n = 34) were staminate parents. After pollination, crossed ovaries were collected periodically and examined using paraffin sections. Histologi cal observations suggested that both hybrid ovules of CPD x CP and CPT x CP should be transferred to culture medium 35 days after pollinatio n. Based up on this observation, crossed ovaries were collected 28 day s after pollination and ovules with placenta were transferred to MS (1 962) medium containing 3% sucrose. These ovules were cultured in the d ark at 25 degrees C. The hybrids (2n = 41) derived from CPD x CP had t he scent of C. purpurascens, whereas the hybrids (2n = 65) derived fro m CPT x CP had the scent of C. persicum. Although both hybrids had com plete genomes from the parents and produced a few viable pollen grains , they failed to yield viable seeds by self- and cross-pollination wit h fertile pollen grains of C. persicum cultivars.