Application of the Embryo Culture in Vitro in Cross Breeding of Ilex × meserveae ‘Blue Angel’

Ilex has rich plant germplasm resources and has been widely planted in landscaping. However, it takes 2～3 years for the seeds to germinate, which is not conducive to breeding. In order to shorten the hybrid breeding cycle of Ilex and improve the seed germination rate, I. × meserveae 'Blue Angel' was chosen as the female parent and 6 Ilex species （varieties） were chosen as the male parent for artificial hybridization. The embryos of different hybrid seeds were cultured in vitro. The results showed that: （1） MS medium was the most suitable starting medium for embryo cultures in vitro of I. × meserveae ‘Blue Angel’. （2） The fruit setting rates of I. × meserveae ‘Blue Angel’ crossed with 3 Chinese wild Ilex species were lower （9.75% ～ 17.16%） than those with 3 European Ilex species （varieties） （20.27% ～ 53.30%）. （3） The embryo culture in vitro was an effective method to shorten the germination time of Ilex seeds by 1 ～ 2 years. （4） The traits of the hybrid offspring are similar to those of the mother I. × meserveae 'Blue Angel'. This study not only provided technical guidance for the creation of I. × meserveae ‘Blue Angel’ germplasm, but also provided reference for the research of embryo culture technology in the cross breeding of Ilex.