Regeneration of somatic hybrids of ginger via chemical protoplast fusion.

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) somatic hybridization was attempted by using polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated protoplast fusion. Protoplasts of three ginger cultivars isolated from the embryogenic cell suspensions were fused with each other. The highest binary fusion rate [13.5% in the fusion of ginger 'Lushan Zhangliang jiang'+'Chenggu Huang Jiang' (LZ+CH)] was observed with the treatment of 30% PEG6000 for 15 min. The three fusion combinations can efficiently develop into micro-colonies and redifferentiate, but only the fusion of ginger 'Chenggu Huang Jiang'+'Sichuan Zhugen Jiang' (CH+SZ) could regenerate plantlets. Approximately 15 months were used for the regeneration of whole plants, and 15 shoots were obtained from the fusion of LZ+CH. Three plantlets were identified as hybrids by using RAPD, and they were all diploids by analysis with flow cytometry.