ASPARAGUS GERMPLASM AND INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION

The genus Asparagus consists of dioecious and hermaphrodite species with diploid, tetraploid and hexaploide set of chromosomes. The distinction between species is difficult, because a low number and sometimes highly variable characters were taken into consideration by different botanists. As a consequence there is now a rich synonymy that complicates the attribution of the right scientific name. Knowledge about the phylogenetic relationship between Asparagus species can help to reveal their sexual compatibility toward the introgression of useful traits (i.e. resistance to diseases) into A. officinalis. In this paper the authors try to: recognize different names attributed to the same Asparagus species; describe traits of different species which could be of interest for A. officinalis breeding; review efforts in sexual and somatic hybridization between species; present molecular approaches to determine phylogenetic relationship between species; determine morphological traits, isoenzyme and DNA markers allowing the characterization of A. officinalis germplasm lines and its relatives; enhance the information about useful traits.