Evaluation of the progeny produced by interspecific hybridization between Camelina sativa and C. microcarpa

Background and aims Camelina (Camelina sativa, Brassicaceae) has attracted interest in recent years as a novel oilseed crop, and an increasing number of studies have sought to enhance camelina's yield potential or to modify the composition of its oil. The ability of camelina to cross-hybridize with its wild relative, C. microcarpa. is of interest as a potential source of genetic variability for the crop. Methods Manual crosses were performed between the crop C. sativa and its wild relative C. microcarpa; F-1 and F-2 progenies were obtained. Cytology was used to study meiosis in the parents and F(1)s and to evaluate pollen viability. Flow cytometry was used to estimate nuclear DNA amounts and fatty acid methyl ester analysis was used to evaluate the lipid composition of F-3 seeds. Key Results The F-1 plants obtained by interspecific crossing presented severe abnormalities at meiosis and low pollen viability, and produced very few F-2 seeds. The F(2)s presented diverse phenotypes and in some cases severe developmental abnormalities. Many F(2)s were aneuploid. The F(2)s produced highly variable numbers of F-3 seeds, and certain F-3 seeds presented atypical lipid profiles. Conclusions Considering the meiotic abnormalities observed and the probability of aneuploidy in the F-3 plants, the C. microcarpa accessions used in this study would be difficult to use as sources of genetic variability for the crop.