Post by nicolas on Feb 3, 2014 4:40:20 GMT -5
A crosspost from Homegrown Goodness board :
As spotted by Eric Toensmeier it seems a promising perennial crop for cold arid land seeds/oil production.
Is anyone playing with it in order to produce perennial improved gourds for human consumption ? Here is an interesting link, about cross pollination :
cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc10/cgc10-37.html
As spotted by Eric Toensmeier it seems a promising perennial crop for cold arid land seeds/oil production.
Is anyone playing with it in order to produce perennial improved gourds for human consumption ? Here is an interesting link, about cross pollination :
cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc10/cgc10-37.html
Hybridization of Cucurbita foetidissima with C. pedatifolia
C. radicans, and C. ficifolia
Thomas C. Andres
Department of Horticultural Science, New York State Agricultural Experiment
Station, Geneva, NY 14456
Cucurbita foetidissima HBK has been regarded as an aberrant species,
showing no affinity toward any other Cucurbita species, based on
phenetic relationships (4), pollinator species relationships (6), and compatibility
relationships (3). Many attempts have been made to hybridize C. foetidissima
with other Cucurbita species, but with only limited success. Fruit
set was reported in crosses between C. foetidissima and several species,
but only by using C. moschata (Duch. ex Lam.) Duch. ex Poir.
as the pollen parent were partially developed embryos obtained (3,5). These
embryos were cultured and produced vigorous, but sterile plants. Female
fertility, however, was restored in the C. foetidissima x C. moschata
hybrids by producing amphidiploids (1).
As part of a biosystematic investigation of the genus Cucurbita,
two wild xerophytic species, C. pedatifolia Bailey (syn. C.
moorei Bailey) and C. radicans Naud. (syn. C. gracilior
Bailey), plus one domesticated ombrophilic species, C. ficifolia
Bouché, were successfully hybridized with C. foetidissima
(Table 1). This is the first report of fully developed interspecific F1
seeds produced by C. foetidissima. Although none of these species
were completely cross-compatible with C. foetidissima, F1,
F2 and backcross to C. foetidissima progeny were produced
in interspecific crosses of C. foetidissima with C. pedatifolia.
C. radicans, a species closely related to C. pedatifolia,
showed less compatibility with C. foetidissima. All 18 pollinations
made between C. radicans and C. foetidissima set fruit,
but only a few seeds were fully developed. These latter pollinations, however,
were performed at Geneva, NY during the unusually cool, wet summer of 1986
and therefore may be misleading. Most of the other pollinations listed in
Table 1 were made during the previous more normal summers.
C. ficifolia hybridized with C. foetidissima only
when used as the female parent. The F1 plants were male sterile
and possibly also female sterile, since they did not develop any embryos.
C. ficifolia may also be hybridized with C. pedatifolia,
but again, no subsequent generations were obtained.
C. ficifolia differs from the aforementioned species in
having a fibrous, rather than storage-type, root system. C. radicans
and C. pedatifolia share the unique ability to produce stolons,
or nearly leafless stems, and bear multiple tubers per rooted node; each
tuber is 3-4 cm long in C. radicans and 10-15 cm long in C.
pedatifolia. Although C. ficifolia, like C. foetidissima,
is considered an aberrant species in the genus, it does share a unique morphological
character with C. foetidissima, C. pedatifolia, and
C. radicans in having pubescent filaments. The remaining species
of Cucurbita all have glabrous filaments.
C. foetidissima is of particular interest as a potentially new
agronomic crop for arid and semi-arid lands, and a multi-disciplinary team
has developed a breeding program to domesticate this species as a source
of oil from the seeds, starch from the roots, and forage from the vines
(2). Additional sources of germplasm available through interspecific hybridization
of C. foetidissima with C. pedatifolia, C. radicans,
and C. ficifolia may provide useful genetic traits for this
project. For example, heterosis was observed in hybrids between C.
foetidissima and C. pedatifolia. C. pedatifolia
also has the ability to survive under more extreme xerophytic conditions
than C. foetidissima. The potato-size tubers of C.
pedatifolia may be more suitable for mechanical harvest than the
single huge taproots produced by C. foetidissima.
Table 1. Experimental crosses between C. foetidissima and C.
pedatifolia, C. radicans, and C. ficifolia.
C. radicans, and C. ficifolia
Thomas C. Andres
Department of Horticultural Science, New York State Agricultural Experiment
Station, Geneva, NY 14456
Cucurbita foetidissima HBK has been regarded as an aberrant species,
showing no affinity toward any other Cucurbita species, based on
phenetic relationships (4), pollinator species relationships (6), and compatibility
relationships (3). Many attempts have been made to hybridize C. foetidissima
with other Cucurbita species, but with only limited success. Fruit
set was reported in crosses between C. foetidissima and several species,
but only by using C. moschata (Duch. ex Lam.) Duch. ex Poir.
as the pollen parent were partially developed embryos obtained (3,5). These
embryos were cultured and produced vigorous, but sterile plants. Female
fertility, however, was restored in the C. foetidissima x C. moschata
hybrids by producing amphidiploids (1).
As part of a biosystematic investigation of the genus Cucurbita,
two wild xerophytic species, C. pedatifolia Bailey (syn. C.
moorei Bailey) and C. radicans Naud. (syn. C. gracilior
Bailey), plus one domesticated ombrophilic species, C. ficifolia
Bouché, were successfully hybridized with C. foetidissima
(Table 1). This is the first report of fully developed interspecific F1
seeds produced by C. foetidissima. Although none of these species
were completely cross-compatible with C. foetidissima, F1,
F2 and backcross to C. foetidissima progeny were produced
in interspecific crosses of C. foetidissima with C. pedatifolia.
C. radicans, a species closely related to C. pedatifolia,
showed less compatibility with C. foetidissima. All 18 pollinations
made between C. radicans and C. foetidissima set fruit,
but only a few seeds were fully developed. These latter pollinations, however,
were performed at Geneva, NY during the unusually cool, wet summer of 1986
and therefore may be misleading. Most of the other pollinations listed in
Table 1 were made during the previous more normal summers.
C. ficifolia hybridized with C. foetidissima only
when used as the female parent. The F1 plants were male sterile
and possibly also female sterile, since they did not develop any embryos.
C. ficifolia may also be hybridized with C. pedatifolia,
but again, no subsequent generations were obtained.
C. ficifolia differs from the aforementioned species in
having a fibrous, rather than storage-type, root system. C. radicans
and C. pedatifolia share the unique ability to produce stolons,
or nearly leafless stems, and bear multiple tubers per rooted node; each
tuber is 3-4 cm long in C. radicans and 10-15 cm long in C.
pedatifolia. Although C. ficifolia, like C. foetidissima,
is considered an aberrant species in the genus, it does share a unique morphological
character with C. foetidissima, C. pedatifolia, and
C. radicans in having pubescent filaments. The remaining species
of Cucurbita all have glabrous filaments.
C. foetidissima is of particular interest as a potentially new
agronomic crop for arid and semi-arid lands, and a multi-disciplinary team
has developed a breeding program to domesticate this species as a source
of oil from the seeds, starch from the roots, and forage from the vines
(2). Additional sources of germplasm available through interspecific hybridization
of C. foetidissima with C. pedatifolia, C. radicans,
and C. ficifolia may provide useful genetic traits for this
project. For example, heterosis was observed in hybrids between C.
foetidissima and C. pedatifolia. C. pedatifolia
also has the ability to survive under more extreme xerophytic conditions
than C. foetidissima. The potato-size tubers of C.
pedatifolia may be more suitable for mechanical harvest than the
single huge taproots produced by C. foetidissima.
Table 1. Experimental crosses between C. foetidissima and C.
pedatifolia, C. radicans, and C. ficifolia.
