Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

Novel innovative doubled haploid technology for ornamental and medical plant breeding

Final Report Summary - HAPLOTECH (Novel innovative doubled haploid technology for ornamental and medical plant breeding)

The objective of the project HAPLOTECH was to develop new, innovative doubled haploid technology for ornamental and medicinal plant breeding in order to produce improved and environment friendly varieties faster, better, and with lower cost.

Thus, the general objectives have been:
- to screen for the first time a large number of plant species, which belong to different families of the plant kingdom for doubled haploid production via gynogenesis and androgenesis in vitro, which gives invaluable knowledge to be applied in a wide range of related and non-related species in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry;
- to thoroughly analyse the ovule and pollen development in a large number of species and to use the accumulated knowledge in the hybridisation of distantly related species.

Other objectives of this proposal included:
- characterisation of growth conditions for the 10 chosen species (6 ornamentals and 4 medicinal plants) and organisation of continuous supply of the donor material to the academic partners. Specific objectives are a) determination of optimal growth conditions for the different species; b) selection of those species, which will be grown further in academic partners' greenhouses; c) selection of species, which will be supplied as rooted young plants to academic partners.
- organisation of continuous supply of the donor material (plants) from SMEs to the academic partners.
- creation of knowledge on the female and male gametophyte development of chosen ornamental and medicinal plants. Specific objective is the description of female and male reproductive development.
- production of haploids and doubled haploids in selected ornamentals and medicinal plants using gynogenesis (ovary / ovule culture), interspecific hybridisation and irradiated pollen. Specific objective is the identification the conditions for doubled haploid formation, and b) transfer the protocols and doubled haploid plants obtained to the industrial partners.
- application of anther culture method to induce haploid and doubled haploid formation in the 11 chosen species. Specific objectives are to test parameters such as genotype and the growth conditions of donor plants, in vitro culture parameters (type of stress pre-treatment, composition of media) and others.
- developing protocols for the production of doubled haploids using isolated microspore cultures.
- application of the protocols developed by the academic partners in partner SME labs and evaluation of doubled haploid lines.

The project was structured into six Work packages (WP), as follows:

WP1
The main objective of this WP was the characterisation of growth conditions for the 10 chosen species (6 ornamentals and 4 medicinal plants) and organisation of continuous supply of the donor material to the academic partners. Specific objectives were:
a) determination of optimal growth conditions for the different species;
b) selection of those species, which will be grown further in academic partners' greenhouses;
c) selection of species, which will be supplied as rooted young plants to academic partners.

WP2
The main objective of this WP was the creation of knowledge on the female and male gametophyte development of chosen ornamental and medicinal plants. Specific objective was the description of female and male reproductive development.

WP3
The main objective of this WP was the production of haploids and doubled haploids in selected ornamentals like Fuchsia, Plumbago, Bougainvillea and Mimulus and medicinal plants (Valeriana) using gynogenesis (ovary / ovule culture). Specific objectives were: a) identification the conditions for doubled haploid formation, and b) transfer the protocols and doubled haploid plants obtained to the industrial partners

WP4
The objective of this WP was the application of anther culture method to induce haploid and doubled haploid formation in the 10 chosen species. Specific objectives were to test parameters such as genotype and the growth conditions of donor plants, in vitro culture parameters (type of stress pre-treatment, composition of media) and others. Other specific objectives were to transfer the protocols and the doubled haploid plants obtained to the industrial partners.

WP5
The main objective of this WP was to develop protocols for the production of doubled haploids using isolated microspore cultures. Other specific objectives were to transfer the protocols and the doubled haploid plants obtained to the industrial partners.

WP6
The objectives of this WP were:
a) application of the protocols developed by the academic partners in partner SME labs; and
b) evaluation of doubled haploid lines obtained WP3, 4 and 5.
The protocols established for any of the chosen species would be applied in SME partner laboratories for other genotypes of the same species and also for other species, not present in this project, but commercially important. Doubled haploids obtained by academic partners would be further evaluated in SMEs laboratories for uniformity and desired characteristics. Vest performing lines would be further propagated and incorporated for line and F1-hybrid breeding programmes

The results obtained can be summarised as follows:
Homozygous doubled haploids are produced in important ornamental and medicinal plant species.
- Reproducible protocols of doubled haploid production are developed in species belonging to families in which no protocols were available.
- Knowledge obtained is applicable to other species of the same family and also to members of other plant families.
- Homozygous doubled haploids produced will be the important part of breeding programme of SME partners and speed up the creation of new varieties in the shortest time.