Production and characterization of interspecific hybrids between Brassica maurorum and crop brassicas

Seven interspecific hybrids were produced between Brassica maurorum (female ), a wild species resistant to Alternaria blight and white rust, and all th e monogenomic (B. campestris, B. nigra and B. oleracea) and digenomic (B. j uncea, B. napus and B. oleracea) crop brassicas (male) through embryo rescu e. The hybrids were confirmed by means of morphological and cytological stu dies. All the hybrids were pollen-sterile, Amphidiploids were induced in th ree of the hybrids: B. maurorum x B. napus. B. maurorum x B. carinata, B. m aurorum x B. nigra. The hybrids were also confirmed through DNA analyses fo r nuclear and organelle genomes using RAPD and RFLP techniques.