Sunflower crop-wild hybrids: Identification and risks

Wild sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is an open-pollinated species that can be a major weed in several crops. If it hybridizes with cultivated sunflower the following generations can generate crop-wild hybrids that could evolve into invasive populations. The objective of this study was to morphologica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Crop protection 2011-06, Vol.30 (6), p.611-616
Main Authors: Presotto, Alejandro, Fernández-Moroni, Ivana, Poverene, Mónica, Cantamutto, Miguel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anthocyanins
biotypes
Contaminants
Crops
Helianthus
Helianthus annuus
hybrids
inbred lines
invasive species
Off-type plants
Progenies
progeny
risk
Seed production
stigma
Weed
weeds
wild plants
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Summary:Wild sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is an open-pollinated species that can be a major weed in several crops. If it hybridizes with cultivated sunflower the following generations can generate crop-wild hybrids that could evolve into invasive populations. The objective of this study was to morphologically characterize F1 hybrids between inbred lines and wild sunflower, their F2, BC1 and BC2 progenies with domestic sunflower to assess the risk of these plants evolving into invasive biotypes. Crop-wild hybrids were easily identified as off-type plants. F1 plants were taller, branched with several heads, smaller disks and phyllaries, stigma and pale anthocyanins, and a longer flowering period compared to cultivated sunflower. None of the F2 plants were similar to wild sunflower plants, but morphologically closer to the cultivated materials. These results showed the improbability that crop-wild off-type plants give rise to plants morphologically similar to wild sunflowers and therefore the risk of developing invasive populations by their introduction. ► Our manuscript develops tools to clearly identify the contaminants and could help farmers and technicians to identify sunflower off-type plants. ► Our results showed the improbability of risk of developing weedy populations by offsprings seed contaminants.
ISSN:0261-2194
1873-6904
DOI:10.1016/j.cropro.2011.02.022