Cytology and Fertility of the Interspecific Hybrid Trifolium ambiguum ✕ T. repens and Backcross Populations

Interspecific hybridizations of white clover (Trifolium repens L.), a widely grown forage legume, with kura clover (T. ambiguum M. Bieb.) have been made to facilitate transfer of genes conferring virus resistance and longevity from kura clover to white clover. Additionally, kura clover may be improved by the seedling and aftermath vigor of white clover. The objectives of this study were to backcross both tetraploid and octoploid interspecific hybrids of kura clover (2n = 4x = 32) and white clover (2n = 4x = 32) to both parents, and to estimate the possibility of successful introgression of genes between the two species (...)