The morphological study and gene expression analysis in citrus hybrid with a short juvenile period
Luciana Silva Almeida, Eliana Maria Rocha Sousa, Paulo Henrique da Silva, Tahise Magalhães Oliveira, Alex-Alan Furtado de Almeida, Mauricio Antônio Coelho Filho, Walter dos Santos Soares Filho and Abelmon da Silva Gesteira
Abstract: Citrus plants have a long juvenile period, which has hampered the breeding progress of these species. In this sense, research focused on reducing the juvenile phase is needed to accelerate the breeding process. In this study, the morphology of the hybrid {[(‘Rangpur’ lime) x YMCT (‘Yuma’ citrange) – 005] x (Microcitrus papuana) – 001} (H011), which has a short juvenile period, and the gene expression levels of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) were evaluated. Morphological studies indicated early flowering and fruiting of the hybrid, characteristics that make it a promising candidate for citrus breeding. In addition, winter temperatures influenced the expression of the FT gene in stems and leaves.