CHARACTERIZATION OF PROGENY FROM BACKCROSSES OF TRIPLOID HYBRIDS BETWEEN HORDEUM-VULGARE L (2X) AND H-BULBOSUM L (4X) TO HORDEUM-VULGARE

Interspecific hybridisations between Hordeum vulgare L. (cultivated ba rley) and H. bulbosum L. (bulbous barley grass) have been carried out to transfer desirable traits, such as disease resistance, from the wil d species into barley. In this paper we report the results of an exten sive backcrossing programme of triploid hybrids (H. vulgare 2x x H. bu lbosum 4x) to two cultivars of H. vulgare. Progenies were characterise d cytologically and by restriction fragment length polymorphism analys is and comprised (1) haploid and diploid H. vulgare plants, (2) hybrid s and aneuploids, (3) single and double monosomic substitutions of H. bulbosum chromosomes into H. vulgare and (4) chromosomal rearrangement s and recombinants. Five out of the seven possible single monosomic ch romosome substitutions have now been identified amongst backcross prog eny and will be valuable for directed gene introgression and genome ho moeology studies. The presence amongst progeny of 1 plant with an H. v ulgare-H. bulbosum translocated chromosome and one recombinant indicat es the value of fertile triploid hybrids for interspecific gene introg ression.