Resistance of citrus genotypes to Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, the cause of Asiatic citrus canker (ACC), was evaluated by injection infiltration of 103 and 104 CFU/ml through stomates on the abaxial surface of immature leaves. Citrus genotypes for screening comprised two autotetraploids and nine triploid hybrids of ‘Lakeland’ limequat (Citrus aurantifolia × Fortunella japonica) and their progenitors (‘Lakeland’ limequat, the autotetraploids ‘Femminello’ lemon (Citrus limon) and ‘Giant Key’ lime (C. aurantifolia), and the somatic hybrids ‘Key’ [also known as ‘Mexican’] lime + ‘Valencia’ orange and ‘Hamlin’ orange + ‘Femminello’ lemon). ‘Meiwa’ kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia) and ‘Pineapple’ sweet orange (C. sinensis) were used as known resistant and susceptible standards, respectively. Lesion number per inoculation site and bacterial population per lesion were recorded 15 to 19 days after inoculation. The assay was performed four times during a spring-summer-fall period under greenhouse conditions. Canker lesions were consistently produced by stomatal inoculation with 104 but not 103 CFU/ml. Susceptible and resistant genotypes were separated based on lesion number per inoculation site and bacterial population per lesion. Spearman's rank correlation analysis for lesion numbers on 15 genotypes common to all four assays showed significant correlations among the genotype rankings. Genotype rankings were also significantly correlated between the two bacterial population assays. Lesion number per inoculation site is sufficient for assessment of resistance of citrus genotypes to ACC without the necessity of conducting bacterial population assays. ‘Lakeland’ limequat is a promising seed parent for breeding acid citrus fruit that is resistant to ACC.

Five populations of lemon plants [Citrus limon (L.) Burm] obtained from undeveloped ovules through diVerent tissue culture procedures were examined for the presence of somaclonal and irradiationinduced genetic variation. Tested groups were: (1) nucellar seedlings; (2) organogenic, regenerated via adventitious buds from nucellar seedling internodes;(3) embryogenic population, regenerated from nonirradiated nucellar callus via somatic embryogenesis; (4) embryogenic population, regenerated from irradiated nucellar callus via somatic embryogenesis; and (5) protoplast-derived, regenerated via somatic embryogenesis. Genomic DNA samples from 360 plants (72 from each group) were screened for polymorphism among RAPD Wngerprints ampliWed by 10 decamer primers. Among all tested plants, genetic variation was detected only within the group of plants recovered from irradiated embryogenic calli. Out of 72 plants from that group, three had RAPD Wngerprints diVerent from the rest of the population, and fourth plant was found to be cytochimeric, consisting of diploid and tetraploid cells as revealed by Xow cytometry. In all other populations of regenerated plants, we did not come across any plants with changed ploidy level.

Interploid sexual hybridizations were completed in

×Chitalpa tashkentensis Elias & Wisura is a sterile intergeneric hybrid [Catalpa bignonioides Walt. × Chilopsis linearis (Cav.) Sweet]. To restore fertility in ×Chitalpa the following were evaluated: 1) oryzalin as a polyploidization agent, 2) fertility of induced polyploids, and 3) in vitro culture methods for embryo rescue of interploid crosses. Meristems of ×Chitalpa `Pink Dawn' were submerged in an aqueous solution of 150 μm oryzalin for 0, 6, 12, or 24 hours and ploidy analyzed via flow cytometry. As treatment duration increased, recovery of diploids decreased as mixoploids and shoot mortality increased. Two tetraploid shoots occurred in the 24-hour treatment. Four tetraploids and two cytochimeras were stabilized in total. Tetraploids flowered sparsely; however, cytochimeras flowered profusely and these were used to study fertility at the tetraploid level. Diploid ×Chitalpa `Pink Dawn' pollen was essentially nonviable, but cytochimera pollen stained and germinated equal to or greater than pollen of C. bignonioides and C. linearis `Bubba'. Cytochimera ×Chitalpa were selfed yielding tetraploid seedlings, crossed with C. bignonioides to yield triploids, but failed in reciprocal crosses with C. linearis `Bubba' and `Burgundy Lace'. To increase recovery of triploids, germination of triploid and tetraploid embryos was investigated, as either intact ovules or excised embryos, on Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) basal salts supplemented with sucrose at 20, 40, and 80 g·L-1, presence or absence of 2% coconut-water, and gibberellic acid (GA3) at 0, 1, 2, or 4 μm, and harvested weekly beginning 2 weeks after pollination (WAP). Germination of triploids (cytochimera ×Chitalpa × diploid C. bignonioides) and tetraploids (selfed cytochimera ×Chitalpa) were greatest with excised embryos at 7 WAP on SH supplemented with sucrose at 20 g·L-1 and ≥1 μm GA3. Germination of triploids (diploid C. linearis × cytochimera ×Chitalpa) was <5% at 4, 5, or 6 WAP on the same medium as above. Oryzalin effectively induced polyploidy and restored fertility in ×Chitalpa `Pink Dawn'. Successful crosses between hybrid and parental taxa of different ploidy levels, coupled with embryo culture will facilitate a ×Chitalpa breeding program. Chemical names used: 4(dipropylamino)-3,5-dinitrobenzenesulfonamide (oryzalin).

Interploid hybridization was conducted using `Key' lime [Citrus aurantifolia (Cristm.) Swing.], `Lakeland' limequat hybrid [C. aurantifolia × Fortunella japonica (Thumb.) Swing.], Palestine sweet lime (C. limettioides Tan.), `Etrog' citron (C. medica L.), and seven lemon [C. limon (L.) Burm. F.] varieties as female progenitors and five allotetraploid somatic hybrids {`Hamlin' sweet orange [C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck] × `Femminello' lemon (C. limon)]; `Key' lime × `Valencia' sweet orange (C. sinensis); `Valencia' sweet orange × rough lemon (C. jambhiri Lush); Milam lemon (purported C. jambhiri hybrid) × `Femminello' lemon (C. limon); and `Valencia' sweet orange × `Femminello' lemon} and two autotetraploids [`Giant Key' lime (C. aurantifolia) and `Femminello' lemon] as pollen progenitors. A few tetraploid × diploid crosses were also performed. Thirty-five parental cross combinations were accomplished in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The breeding targets were seedlessness, cold-tolerance, and disease resistance. Triploid hybrids were recovered through embryo culture. Generation of triploid citrus hybrids was affected by several factors including sexual compatibility, cross direction, embryo developmental stage, pollen viability, as well as horticultural practices and climatic conditions. Efficiency of triploid hybrid production was higher in diploid × tetraploid crosses than the reciprocal. Many more triploid hybrids were generated from lemon seed progenitors compared to the other acid citrus fruit progenitors. `Todo el Año', `Lisbon', and `Limonero Fino 49' showed the highest sexual compatibility. Embryo germination rate and normal plant recovery were also higher in lemons as compared to the other seed progenitors. Low winter temperatures might have affected the hybrid production efficiency from tropical acid fruit progenitors. A total of 650 hybrids (mostly triploid) were transferred to soil. The novel genetic combinations of these progenies should be valuable for the genetic improvement of acid citrus fruit (lemons and limes).

Vase life of ‘Karma Thalia’ dahlia (Dahlia ×hybrida), ‘Lace Violet’ linaria (Linaria maroccana), ‘Sunrise’ lupine (Lupinus hartwegii ssp. cruickshankii), ‘Temptress’ poppy (Papaver nudicaule), ‘Indian Summer’ rudbeckia (Rudbeckia ×hybrida), ‘Jemmy Royal Purple’ trachelium (Trachelium caeruleum), and ‘Benary's Giant Scarlet’ and ‘Sun Gold’ zinnias (Zinnia elegans) was determined after being subjected to postharvest handling procedures. Cut dahlia, lupine, poppy, rudbeckia, trachelium, and ‘Sun Gold’ and ‘Benary's Giant Scarlet’ zinnia flowers could be held in unamended tap or deionized (DI) water with no effect on vase life. Vase life of linaria was longest when placed in DI water with 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate and a solution pH of 3.5. A vase solution of 2% sucrose without foam extended consumer vase lives for linaria, trachelium, and ‘Benary's Giant Scarlet’ zinnia. Floral foam or 2% or 4% sucrose had no effect on the consumer vase life of dahlia, lupine, rudbeckia, and poppy. Trachelium and rudbeckia did not tolerate a 20% sucrose treatment for 24 h, whereas linaria and ‘Benary's Giant Scarlet’ zinnia had a longer vase life with a 10% sucrose pulse than a water-only pulse. For trachelium, the longest (17.5 days) consumer vase life occurred when the Chrysal Professional 2 Processing solution (CP2) was used after pretreatment with DI water. Either of two commercial holding solutions, CP2 or Floralife Professional (FLP), similarly extended the vase life of linaria. The use of FLP or CP2 improved consumer vase life of dahlia, lupine, and poppy compared with DI water. Dahlia, trachelium, and zinnia flowers could not be cold stored at 2 °C. Lupine and poppy could be stored at 2 °C wet or dry for 2 weeks. Linaria and rudbeckia could be cold stored for 3 weeks. Lupine and trachelium were susceptible to 1 μL·L−1 exogenous ethylene, which induced floret abscission in lupine and stopped floret opening in trachelium. 1-Methylcyclopropene and silver thiosulfate similarly suppressed the ethylene effect. Cut linaria, zinnia, dahlia, rudbeckia, and poppy flowers were unaffected by exogenous ethylene.

The tomato-potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli, is a vector for the phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso), the causative agent of economically important diseases including tomato vein-greening and potato zebra chip. Here, we screened 11 wild tomato relatives for TPP resistance as potential resources for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivar development. Six accessions with strong TPP resistance (survival <10%) were identified within S. habrochaites, S. pennelli, S. huaylasense, S. chmielewskii, S. corneliomulleri, and S. galapagense. Two S. pennelli and S. corneliomulleri accessions also showed resistance to Lso. We evaluated recombinant inbred lines (RILs) carrying resistance from S. habrochaites accession LA1777 in the S. lycopersicum background and identified major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for adult TPP mortality and fecundity in several RILs carrying insertions in different chromosomes, indicating the polygenic nature of these traits. Analysis of a major resistance QTL in RIL LA3952 on chromosome 8 revealed that the presence of Lso is required to increase adult TPP mortality. By contrast, the reduced TPP oviposition trait in LA3952 is independent of Lso. Therefore, resistance traits are available in wild-tomato species, although their complex inheritance and modes of action require further characterisation to optimise their utilisation for tomato improvement.

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