Sexual hybridization between Capsella bursa‐pastoris (L.) Medik (♀) and Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz (♂) (Brassicaceae)

Abstract

The development of transgenic oilseed Camelina sativa (2n = 40) and the potential for hybridization with its weedy relative Capsella bursa‐pastoris (2n = 36) necessitates a careful evaluation of the reproductive compatibility between the species. Here, we conducted over 1800 crosses (emasculation and manual pollination) to examine the ability of 10 Canadian C. bursa‐pastoris (♀) accessions to hybridize with five accessions of C. sativa (♂). Seven hybrids were confirmed among 586 putative hybrids screened with species‐specific markers, indicating a hybridization rate of 1.5 hybrids per 10 000 ovules pollinated. All seven hybrids had intermediate DNA content compared to their parents, were morphologically distinct, had low (1.9%) pollen fertility and failed to produce selfed or backcrossed seed. Given the abundance of C. bursa‐pastoris along field margins, hybrids will likely be generated in the wild, but they will be unable to establish lineages unless fertility is restored. The large number of crosses and the diversity captured by the use of multiple accessions resulted in strong statistical power and a high degree of confidence in the estimated hybridization rate.

Hybridization rate and hybrid fitness for Camelina microcarpa Andrz. ex DC (♀) and Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz(Brassicaceae) (♂)

“…camelina (Martin et al, 2015). It is also similar to the overall production rate of 0.007 hybrids/pollination for pollinations between canola (Brassica napus L.) and 43 other species (FitzJohn et al, 2007).…”

Frequency and maintenance of unreduced gametes in natural plant populations: associations with reproductive mode, life history and genome size

“…700 μl of LB01 buffer with the same concentrations of propidium iodide and RNAse as above, and passed the suspended nuclei solution through a 30 μm filter. The DNA content standard was Verbena officinalis L. (2C pg DNA content = 0.678, Martin et al ., ) except for species with higher DNA contents: Sisymbrium loeselii , Brassica napus and Descurainia sophia were tested with Raphanus sativus L. ‘Saxa’ (2C pg DNA content = 1.11), Hesperis matronalis was tested with Pisum sativum L. ‘Ctirad’ (2C pg DNA content = 9.09), Cardamine concatenata was tested with Secale cereale L. ‘Dankovské’ (2C pg DNA content = 16.19) and Cardamine diphylla was tested with Zea mays L. ‘CE‐777′ (2C pg DNA content = 5.43) (Doležel et al ., ). The calculation of 2C pg DNA content for each species was based on the fluorescence of the sample species’ 2C peak mean relative to that of the standard, where fluorescence area (FL‐A, 485 nm) peak means were measured using ModFit LT v.3.3.11 (Verity Software House, Topsham, ME, USA).…”

Genetic Resources of Crop Wild Relatives: A Canadian Perspective

“…The beer brewing industry in the Czech Republic was looking for native material of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) that was collected in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2003 for hop breeding and proved to be chemically distinct from European and other North American plants; the Canadian material was also found to have powdery mildew resistance (Patzak et al 2010). The recent interest in false flax (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) has also resulted in collecting of crop wild relatives of this genus in Canada (Séguin-Swartz et al 2013;Martin et al 2015). However, limited capacities in the national Canadian genebank do not allow for ex situ conservation of all diversity of all native species that are plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and priorities need to be established.…”