ABSTRACT
Summary Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees and related species are important pasture and range forage plants in the semi-arid and arid southwestern U.S.A. Types within these polymorphic, apomictic species have different adaptations and characteristics. Breeding cultivars with new combinations of characteristics should greatly increase their usefulness. Our objectives were to determine the relationship between data from cytological studies of hybrids and from progeny test classifications of mode of reproduction, to evaluate mode of reproduction in lovegrass hybrids, and to develop an efficient breeding scheme. In general, results of cytological analysis of megasporogenesis and embryo sac development and spaced-plant tests of progeny variability gave similar evaluations of mode of reproduction. Results indicated that 40% of hybrids were predominantly apomictic, 20% were intermediate, and 40% were predominantly sexual in tetraploid sexual x tetraploid apomict crosses. In crosses of tetraploid sexual x one 2n = 69 apomict, 90% of the hybrids were predominantly apomictic. We propose a breeding scheme using sexual x apomict hybridization to produce apomictic cultivars.
