Development and regeneration of wheat–rice hybrid zygotes produced by in vitro fertilization system

Summary Hybridization plays a decisive role in the evolution and diversification of angiosperms. However, the mechanisms of wide hybridization remain open because pre‐ and post‐fertilization barriers limit the production and development of inter‐subfamily/intergeneric zygotes, respectively. We examined hybridization between wheat and rice using an in vitro fertilization (IVF) system to bypass these barriers. Several gamete combinations of allopolyploid wheat–rice hybrid zygotes were successfully produced, and the developmental profiles of hybrid zygotes were analyzed. Hybrid zygotes derived from one rice egg cell and one wheat sperm cell ceased at the multicellular embryo‐like structure stage. This developmental barrier was overcome by adding one wheat egg cell to the wheat–rice hybrid zygote. In the reciprocal combination, one wheat egg and one rice sperm cell, the resulting hybrid zygotes failed to divide. However, doubling the dosage of rice sperm cell allowed the hybrid zygotes to develop into plantlets. Rice chromosomes appeared to be progressively eliminated during the early developmental stage of these hybrid embryos, and c. 20% of regenerated plants showed abnormal morphology. These results suggest that hybrid breakdown can be overcome through optimization of gamete combinations, and the present hybrid will provide a new horizon for utilization of inter‐subfamily genetic resources.