SOMATIC HYBRIDIZATION OF COMPLEMENTARY CITRUS ROOTSTOCKS - 5 NEW HYBRIDS

Protoplast culture following polyethylene glycol-induced fusion resulted in the regeneration of tetraploid somatic hybrid plants from the following attempted parental combinations: Cleopatra mandarin (Citrus reticalata Blanco) + Argentine trifoliate orange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.]; 'Succari' sweet orange [C. sinensis (L.) Osb.] + Argentine trifoliate orange; sour orange (C. aurantium L.)+ Flying Dragon trifoliate orange (P. trifoliata); sour orange + Rangpur (C. limonia Osb.); and Milam lemon (purported sexual hybrid of C. jambhiri Lush x C. sinensis) + Sun Chu Sha mandarin (C. reticulata Bianco). Protoplast isolation, fusion, and culture were conducted according to previously published methods. Regenerated plants were classified according to leaf morphology, chromosome number, and peroxidase, phosphoglucomutase, and phosphoglucose isomerase leaf isozyme profiles. All of the somatic hybrid plants were tetraploid, as expected (2n = 4x = 36), and all five selections have been propagated and entered into commercial citrus rootstock trials.