Using androgenesis from amphidiploid cultivars of Festulolium (Festuca pratensis × Lolium multiflorum) to generate stress resistant genotypes for grass breeding

The two Polish amphidiploid Festuca pratensis x Lolium multiflorum (2n=4x=28) cultivars Felopa and Sulino are well adapted to a range of contrasting European growing conditions including maritime Western Norway, Western United Kingdom, and contrasting climate extremes found in Poland. Furthermore, certain androgenic lines derived from Felopa and Sulino include gene combinations governing extremes of stress tolerance not found within the parent cultivars, nor generally recovered by conventional breeding programmes. Both Festulolium cultivars were highly amenable to anther culture and over 80% of androgenic plants were found to be dihaploids (n + n = 14). Fertile genotypes were found within the dihaploid populations providing opportunities for the development of novel cultivars. Natural diploid hybrids between Festuca pratensis and Lolium multiflorum (2n=2x=14) are sterile. The production of fertile dihaploid plants (= diploids) provides opportunities to combine whole genomes of Lolium and Festuca, and complementary traits from both genera, for the first time at the diploid chromosome number.