Ovule and embryo culture of the seeds obtained from the crosses between Hibiscus asper, H. cannabinus and H. sabdarlffa

Abstract

(1) Crosses were made between Hibiscus asper, H. cannabinus and H. sabdarlffa ill order to obtain interspecific hybridizations through the ovule and embryo cultures. (2) The crossability differed according to the species used and the direction of cross. combination. The pods obtained from H. aspel-XH. cannabinus and H. asperXH. sabda, -zffa contained only immature seeds. In the reciprocal crosses between H. cannabinus and H. sabdarlffa, it was not possible to obtain seeds because of somatoplastic sterility. But the pods of H. sabdal-Iffa XH. cannabinus were set on the female plants for a longer time than those of the reciprocal crosses. When H. cannabinus was pollinated with H. sabdarlffa the ovule of the former were obtained after 4 days by treatment with lanolin containing 100 ppm IAA. The pods of H. sabdarzffa XH. asper were set on the female plants for 9, days or more after pollination, but they gradually fell off. The pods of H. cannabinusX H. asper fell off shortly after pollination. (3) Even though the plants developed a disease, H. sabdal-Iffa could be used as a female plant, and showed a higher percentage of pod setting than did the healthy plants.