Hybridization between cotton and Malvaceae species as a tool for production of partial interspecific aneuploid cotton plants

Cotton although is an autogamous species could be cross pollinated under favorable climate conditions and/or in the presence of pollinators. The coexistence of cotton with Malvaceae species raises questions on the possibility pollen to be exchanged among Malvaceae species and on the resulted consequences. The present work was undertaken to evaluate the in situ response of cotton flowers ( G.hirsutum L, G. barbadense L.) and their F 1 interspecific hybrids when are artificially pollinated with Malva sylvestris L., Hibiscus syriacus L. and Abelmoschus esculentus Moench. Furthermore, an in vitro protocol was attempted to support embryos’ growth in order to produce viable progenies originating from crosses between cotton and the aforementioned Malvaceae species. The obtained results gave evidence that pollen from the above Malvaceae species stimulated cotton ovaries without successful hybridization. The interaction between pollen and cotton’s stigmas was higher at early stages when M. sylvestris was used as pollinator but in crosses with H. syriacus and A. esculentus more ovules were activated as revealed by the percentage of carpodesis and life-time of bolls onto maternal plants. Only crosses between cotton with okra produced cotton seeds under in situ conditions. The in vitro embryo-ovule culture protocol, used, increased the number of regenerated cotton plants, especially in crosses among F 1 interspecific cotton hybrids and A. esculentus . In this case, regenerated plants were recombinant aneuploids, combining traits from both cotton species. This novel cotton germplasm possessing unique chromosome rearrangements, at aneuploid level could be proved useful after cytogenetic, molecular or QTL genetic analysis referring to important agronomic traits.