Identification of Somatic Hybrids between Iris ensata Thunb. and I. germanica L. by Designing Species-specific Primers of ITS Regions of Nuclear rDNA

Abstract

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA in Iris ensata and I. germanica were sequenced to design the species-specific primers, which allowed us to identify their hybrids by PCR amplification. In 17 plants obtained through protoplast fusion between I. ensata and I. germanica, their hybridity was tested by this method, and 12 plants among these plants had 2 bands specific to parental species. Therefore, these plants were identified as somatic hybrids between I. ensata and I. germanica.