Artificial hybridizations in five species of Chilean Nolana (Solanaceae)

Abstract

Reciprocal crosses, both intraspecific and interspecific, were made among five Chilean species of Nolana (Solanaceae), a genus native to western South America. With the exception of N. paradoxa, plants of all species used were grown from mericarps collected from wild populations. Self-pollinations were generally not successful, suggesting obligate allogamy. A total of 333 hybridizations were performed, of which 109 were intraspecific and 224 interspecific. Successful intraspecific hybridizations, as measured by formation of fruits, were produced for N. acuminata (83%), N. elegans (94%), N. paradoxa (82%), and N. rupicola (100%), however viable hybrids were only obtained for N. paradoxa. Interspecific combinations resulted in over 80% fruit set, however, viable hybrid success ranged from only 1% to 5%. Crosses included N. elegans x N. paradoxa with 20 viable hybrids, N. paradoxa x N. elegans with two hybrids, N. paradoxa x N. rupicola with seven hybrids, and N. rupicola x N. paradoxa with five hybrids. Exceptions included crosses involving N. aplocaryoides, with up to 20% fruit set. Also, the combination N. paradoxa x N. aplocaryoides with five hybrids, had a 26% success. All interspecific hybrids obtained had N. paradoxa as one of the parents, which could be related to artificial selection for high germination frequency.