Inheritance of morphological and chemical characters in interspecific hybrids between Papaver bracteatum and Papaver pseudo-orientale

Summary The alkaloid profiles and morphological traits of the capsules of Papaver bracteatum, P. pseudo-orientale, and their hybrids were studied. Dominance of the hexaploid parent P. pseudo-orientale was observed for various characters. A genetic model assuming allelic additive effects and polysomic inheritance was elaborated for the control of isothebaine content in the capsules. The distribution of thebaine content in the segregating generations, F₂ and BCF₁ was evidence of the transfer of genes from the diploid parent P. bracteatum in the gametes of the interspecific hybrid and their expression in its progenies. These findings indicate the potential use of inter-specific hybrids between the Oxytona species in the breeding of cultivars for industrial or ornamental purposes.Contribution No. 3066-E, 1990 series from The Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50 250, Israel