The Citrus Breeding Program of the Citriculture Center at the Agronomic Institute (IAC) has developed a mandarin cultivar IAC 2019Maria from the crossing between Murcott IAC tangor (Citrus reticulata x Citrus sinensis) and Pera IAC sweet orange (C. sinensis). The present study aimed to assess the number of seeds in fruits of IAC 2019Maria mandarin and to identify zygotic embryos and triploid plants in the crossings between IAC 2019Maria mandarin, Pera IAC sweet orange, and Ponkan mandarin (C. reticulata Blanco), in addition to IAC 2019Maria mandarin in open and self-pollination. IAC 2019Maria flowers were self-pollinated, pollinated with pollen from Pera sweet orange and Ponkan mandarin, and had no pollination. The embryos were identified using microsatellite molecular markers and ploidy was assessed by flow cytometry. The results of the treatment with no pollination suggest the variety does not produce parthenocarpic fruits. The genotyping results showed that 100% of the populations consist of zygotic embryos, suggesting that IAC 2019Maria mandarin is a plant with low polyembryony. The ploidy analysis of the hybrids allowed identifying a triploid plant from an aborted seed from the crossing with Pera sweet orange and two tetraploids, one from the crossing with Pera sweet orange and one from self-pollination.
Background: Huanglongbing (HLB) is currently one of the most devasting diseases in citrus plants worldwide. Resistance against its causal agent, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), in commercial Citrus species remains a challenge, even though they show differences in CLas multiplication. Methods: A total of 14 citrandarin hybrids and their parents (Sunki mandarin and Poncirus trifoliata cv. Rubidoux) were top-grafted onto the canopy of potted ‘Valencia’ sweet orange plants with high CLas titers. The grafted genotypes were tested for CLas infection and physiological effects of the disease (starch accumulation and callose deposition) for 12 months. Results: All tested genotypes were infected by CLas during the time frame of the experiment. However, a decrease in the infection rate ranging from 50% to 80% for the hybrids H109, H126, H157, and H222 was observed 360 days from the top-grafting. CLas was undetected by real-time PCR in H106 at the end of the experiment, which had low levels of starch and callose deposition. Conclusions: CLas infected all of the tested citrandarin hybrids, but a decrease in the infection rate over time was detected for some specific genotypes, which led to less starch accumulation and callose deposition.
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