PRODUCTION OF HAPLOIDS IN BREAD WHEAT, DURUM-WHEAT AND HEXAPLOID TRITICALE CROSSED WITH PEARL-MILLET

Pearl millet is an efficient alternative to maize as a pollen source f or haploid production in bread wheat. To compare haploid production fr equencies in other Triticeae species, the crossabilities of two genoty pes each of bread wheat, durum wheat and hexaploid triticale with four pearl millet genotypes and a maize control were examined. Embryos wer e obtained from crosses of all three species with both pearl millet an d maize. However, significant differences in crossability were found a mong the three species (10.5-79.8% seed development and 1.4-15.8% embr yo formation), as well as among genotypes of durum wheat (7.2-23.7% an d 2.1-6.4%) and hexaploid triticale (0.3-20.6% and 0.1-2.7%). Crossabi lity of bread wheat with pearl millet was relatively high. Haploid pla nts were regenerated from crosses of all three species with pearl mill et. As in the case of maize crosses, low crossabilities of durum wheat and hexaploid triticale with pearl millet can be attributed to the ab sence of D-genome chromosomes.