Interspecific hybridization in Vicia

Interspecific crosses were used to obtain new forms of horticultural and ornamental species, long before the existence of genetics as a science, or the modern concept of ‘species’ had been developed. They are widely used in plant breeding as well as in evolutionary studies. Basic and applied aims are, in fact, complementary aspects of the same study. Once the interspecific hybrid has been obtained, the success of each aim depends on the materials used.