Characteristics of Progenies Derived from Bidirectional Avena sativa L. and Avena fatua L. Crosses

Crossing genetically distant forms is widely used in breeding programs and allows the introduction of beneficial features from the wild into cultivated species. In this study, agronomic traits of two F2 segregating populations derived from crosses in both directions between A. sativa cv. Sam and A. fatua ‘51532’, as well as their parental forms, were phenotyped and statistically compared. Almost all mean values of the analysed features in the populations ranged between the values of the two parental forms. In both F2 populations, high variability of the traits was observed. The plant height was strongly correlated with the length of the first inernode below the panicle in all populations except parental form ‘51532’. An intermediate correlation between the plant height and the panicle length could be observed only for ‘Sam’ and ‘Sam’ × ‘51532’. The segregation of non-shattering to shattering phenotypes of the progeny confirmed a single gene inheritance of the trait. Additionally, in both combinations, transgressive forms in terms of some phenotypic traits were observed. The direction of crosses had no impact on the values of characterised parameters. During the interspecific crosses, new breeding lines and cultivars are obtained, enriched with specific qualitative and quantitative properties. The genetic distinctness between crossed species often prevents the formation of desired hybrids but also enables obtaining superior genotypes with traits exceeding the parental forms. Even though efficient crossbreeding with A. fatua is demanding, looking for new germplasm in wild ancestors is crucial for expanding the Avena genetic pool and developing long-term strategies beneficial to modern oat breeding.