Abstract Detail

Development and Structure

Bahmani, Keivan [1], Akbari, Azam [2], Izadi Darbandi, Ali [2].

Development of high yielding synthetic cultivars of bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgar var. vulgare).

Bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare), hereafter just called fennel, is an open-pollinated plant, and controlling pollination can be very difficult. Most fennel growers are reliant on local available fennel seeds, as there are no commercial high yielding fennel cultivars. The development of synthetic cultivars, seed produced by the free intermating of several elite parental lines, may be a viable method to develop higher yielding and/or stress tolerant fennel cultivars. We developed five fennel synthetic cultivars with different maturity habits, three with the goal of high essential oil yield, and the other two with the goal of high seed yield under drought conditions. For each of the five synthetic cultivars, elite parents based on General Combining Ability (GCA) for either essential oil yield or seed yield were selected and were allowed to freely cross-pollinate. After developing the first generation of the synthetic cultivars, to assess their performance, these cultivars along with some of their elite parents were planted in field experiments under two conditions: well-irrigated and drought stress. Altogether, in drought stress conditions, the five synthetic cultivars had a higher essential oil yield and seed yield than their parents, although early and medium maturity synthetic cultivars were more promising. In normal irrigation conditions, performances of the synthetic cultivars were similar to their parents. Given that fennel is also an orphan crop, and pollination control in fennel is really challenging, synthetic cultivar development is a viable breeding method for fennel, especially in early and medium maturity fennels.

1 - University Of Central Florida, Biological Sciences, 4110 Libra Dr, Orlando, FL, 32816, United States
2 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Sciences, College of Aboreihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Keywords:
Fennel
early maturity
medium maturity
late maturity
synthetic cultivar
seed yield
essential oil content
drought condition
well irrigated condition.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PDS007
Abstract ID:326
Candidate for Awards:None