INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN LIMONIUM-PERIGRINUM BERGIUS AND LIMONIUM-PURPURATUM L

Interspecific hybrids between Limonium perigrinum and L. purpuratum we re obtained using L, perigrinum as the female parent. No hybrids were produced by the reciprocal cross. Twelve- to 15-day-old embryos were r escued and cultured within their embryo sacs on modified B5 or KM medi um. After two to three days the embryos were excised from their embryo sacs and re-plated on to fresh medium. When the embryo-derived plantl ets had attained a length of 1 cm they were transferred to a modified MS medium containing BA and NAA for shoot proliferation. Plantlets wer e transferred to modified MS medium supplemented with IBA for 24 hours for root initiation then to a modified growth-regulator-free MS mediu m for root growth. After a further 28 days the plantlets were transfer red to soil-less medium for acclimatisation. The hybrid characteristic s of one of the 15 embryo-derived plants were determined by flow cytom etry and by examination of morphological features. The mean DNA conten ts of 2C nuclei from L, perigrinum, the hybrid and L purpuratum were 1 3.98 pg, 16.81 pg and 19.37 pg, respectively. Mitotic and meiotic chro mosome counts from L. perigrinum and L, purpuratum showed that both pa rents and their hybrids had identical chromosome numbers (2n = 24), an d that the species were closely related. Morphological analyses of lea ves and flowers showed that the hybrids displayed a number of features intermediate between both parents.