Androgenetic plants of Anemone coronaria derived through anther culture

The genus Anemone (Ranunculaceae) includes many species cultivated for ornamental purposes. Most cut flower cultivars belong to A. coronaria L. and are multiplied by seed and sold for cultivation as 1-year-old tubers. As cultivars represent a population of hybrid individuals derived from crosses between heterozygous parents, the use of a true F₁ hybrid would improve the uniformity and quality of the product. As a first step towards the development of pure-breeding lines, anther cultures were established from elite cultivars of A. coronaria. Somatic embryos and plantlets were regenerated from five elite cultivars, and up to 16.9 regenerants per 100 cultured anthers were obtained. Cytological analysis identified that 11 of 19 regenerants had either a 2x = 16 karyotype, or were mixoploids. RAPD-based DNA fingerprinting showed that all the regenerants tested differed genetically from their anther donor, confirming their androgenetic origin. The shortening to 15 months for the time required to produce homozygous lines may convince seed companies to invest in F₁ hybrid breeding.