Cross compatibility between abelmoschus esculentus and abelmoschus manihot and hybrid sterility

Abstract

Observations made during 1985, while conducting a breeding experiment on interspecific hybridization in the genus Abelmoschus of family MALVACEAE, reveal that the virus caused Yellow Vein Mosaic disease susceptible bhindi varieties of the cultivated species esculentus cross readily with the resistant wild/ semi-wild species manihot. Absence of interspecific mating incompatibility is of advantage in programmes of breeding for evolving improved varieties of the crop with built-in-resistance. The first generation hybrids though do not produce viable seeds in profusion, are not totally sterile. The scanty viable seed recovery from the hybrids against the parents is suspected to be due to chromosomal differentation that could have taken place during speciation in the genus. The quantity of viable hybrid seeds recovered differs in different parental combinations. Recommendations are made in favour of identifying specificallyadvantages interspecific parental combinations and practicing controlled selfing on relatively more number of flowers in the hybrids to yield adequate seeds to generate subsequent progeny populations to enable selection for economic desirability and disease resistance.