AUTHOR=Breman Floris C. , Snijder Ronald C. , Korver Joost W. , Pelzer Sieme , Sancho-Such Mireia , Schranz M. Eric , Bakker Freek T. 

TITLE=Interspecific Hybrids Between Pelargonium × hortorum and Species From P. Section Ciconium Reveal Biparental Plastid Inheritance and Multi-Locus Cyto-Nuclear Incompatibility

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.614871

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2020.614871

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The genetics underlying Cyto-Nuclear Incompatibility (CNI) was studied in <italic>Pelargonium</italic> interspecific hybrids. We created hybrids of 12 closely related crop wild relatives (CWR) with the ornamental <italic>P.</italic> × <italic>hortorum</italic>. Ten of the resulting 12 (F<sub>1</sub>) interspecific hybrids segregate for chlorosis suggesting biparental plastid inheritance. The segregation ratios of the interspecific F<sub>2</sub> populations show nuclear interactions of one, two, or three nuclear genes regulating plastid function dependent on the parents. We further validated that biparental inheritance of plastids is common in section <italic>Ciconium</italic>, using diagnostic PCR primers. Our results pave the way for using the diverse species from section <italic>Ciconium</italic>, each with its own set of characteristics, as novel sources of desired breeding traits for <italic>P.</italic> × <italic>hortorum</italic> cultivars.</p>