Production of interspecific hybrids between Lycoris incarnata and four other Lycoris species through embryo culture

Interspecific crosses were made between a sterile species (L. incarnata) an d four fertile species (L. sanguinea, L. sprengeri, L. radiata var. pumila (L. pumila, hereafter), and L. aurea) to breed varieties with new character s. Embryos, excised from ovules 20-30 days after pollination, were cultured on a modified MS medium containing 500 mg (.) liter(-1) casein hydrolysate (Ma et al., 2001), Interspecific crosses using L. incarnata as a female pa rent yielded 26 hybrid plants, whereas that of L. sanguinea X L. incarnata produced none. Cytological studies revealed that all hybrids were triploid, which would have originated from the fertilization of an unreduced 2n-egg of the female parent (L. incarnata) and a normal haploid gamete of the male parent. The hybridity was also confirmed by isozyme analysis in 26 hybrid plants and partly by character observation in hybrid plants of L. incarnata X L. pumila.