Wide crossing: opportunities and progress

Wide crossing in lentil through embryo rescue

Lentil seeds have provided an appreciated source of protein, carbohydrates and fibre to the diet of humans since the dawn of agriculture. Low amounts of variation have been detected in the cultivated lentil germplasm collections. Interspecific crosses allow for the introgression of important alleles of agricultural interest from wild species, such as the resistance or tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Interspecific crosses within the genus Lens generally abort and embryo rescue techniques are necessary to recover hybrids. The in vitro culture procedure to rescue interspecific hybrids of Lens consists of at least four different stages: (1) in ovulo embryo culture (2), embryo culture, (3) plantlet development and finally, (4) the gradual habituation to ex vitro conditions of the recovered interspecific hybrid plantlets. In this chapter, the approach to rescue interspecific hybrids in the genus Lens is outlined.