Appearance of albino seedlings and ptDNA inheritance in interspecific hybrids of azalea

PCR-RFLP analysis was conducted to clarify the relationship between the lea f color of progenies and their ptDNA inheritance in interspecific three-way crosses, (Rhododendron kiusianum x R. eriocarpum) x R. japonicum f. flavum . All albino progenies contained maternal ptDNA, whereas green and pale-gre en progenies contained paternal ptDNA. Sectorial chimeric progenies, of whi ch the leaf and shoot color was turned from green to albino during the cult ure, contained both maternal and paternal ptDNA in green segments and mater nal ptDNA in albino segments. These results suggest that albino progenies a re caused by the incompatibility between plastome from F-1 hybrids of R. ki usianum x R. eriocarpum and nuclear genome from R. japonicum f. flavum.