Oryza officinalis Wall is a potential genetic resource for rice breeding; however, its distant genome limits its crossing ability with cultivated rice. The interspecific hybridization of O. officinalis and cultivated rice, establishment of its tissue culture, and induction of polyploidy are ways to improve O. officinalis's poor crossability. We developed an interspecific hybrid and studied its reproductive pollen development process in this work, and the results showed that abortive pollens (81.94%) and embryo sac abnormalities (91.04%) were the key causes of its high sterility. In order to induce callus formation in interspecific hybrid explants, two different culture media, namely Chu's N-6 medium (N6) and 1/2 Murashig and Skoog medium (1/2 MS), were employed. Additionally, two plant growth regulators (PGRs), namely 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BA), along with L-proline (Pro) and acid hydrolyzed casein, were utilized in the experiment. The optimal N6 medium, supplemented with 2.0 mg·L-1 2,4-D, produced the highest induction rate (80.56 ± 5.44)%. For callus differentiation and proliferation, the MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg·L-1 BA + 0.2 mg·L-1 NAA produced the highest differentiation rate (75.00 ± 4.97)% and seedling emergence ratio (28.97 ± 4.67)%. The optimal combination for seedling rooting was the 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg L-1 NAA and 0.2 mg L-1 BA, which produced an average of 13.95 roots per plant. For polyploidy induction in the interspecific hybrid, the concentration of colchicine treatment at 400 mg·L-1 for three days is an ideal protocol. We devised tissue culture and interspecific hybrid polyploidy induction to overcome O. officinalis' poor crossability and introduce its favorable features into cultivated rice.
Keywords: Oryza officinalis Wall; polyploidy; rice; tissue culture.