A Short-Cycle Sunflower Line Derived From Intergeneric Hybridization Helianthus ˟ Verbesina

Abstract

A new sunflower (H. annuus) introgression line HA-VERB, selected for its considerable earliness of blooming, is described in this paper. The line has been developed after intergeneric hybridization between cultivated sunflower H. annuus L. and Verbesina encelioides (Cav.) B. & H. var. exauriculata Rob. & Greenm. Plants are polycephalic (multiple branched), with reduced plant height. The agronomic and morphological characteristics of the line HA-VERB are reported. The development of inbred line with reduced blooming date appears to be an obvious advantage for increasing the range of potential uses of sunflower genotypes as donors in plant breeding. © 2005, by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston. All rights reserved.