ANALYSIS OF CHLOROPLAST AND MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA IN ASYMMETRIC SOMATIC HYBRIDS BETWEEN SOLANUM-TUBEROSUM AND IRRADIATED SOLANUM-BREVIDENS

Organellar DNA of asymmetric somatic hybrids between Solanum tuberosum and irradiated S. brevidens were analysed by DNA hybridization method s using the spinach chloroplast probe pSBD, wheat mitochondrial gene n ad5 and petunia mitochondrial gene orf25. Eight of the 12 asymmetric h ybrid plants had S. tuberosum chloroplast DNA and the remaining four S . brevidens chloroplast DNA. A novel mitochondrial hybridization patte rn was present in eight out of the 17 hybrids tested. In six hybrids, novel combinations of chloroplasts and mitochondria were found, indica ting that both organelle types sorted out independently.