Hybridization Assays in Strawberry Tree toward the Identification of Plants Displaying Increased Drought Tolerance

Arbutus unedo L. is a small Ericaceae tree with circum-Mediterranean distribution. It has huge ecological impact on southern Europe forests and great economic importance as source of phytochemicals bioactive properties for fruit production. On the foreseen climate change context, breeding toward drought tolerance necessary in order to ameliorate plant performance. Therefore, aim this work was study reproduction mechanisms strawberry tree, obtain new genetic combinations by hybridization, select genotypes more tolerant stress. A morphological analysis flowers pollen carried out, controlled pollinations were performed both vitro ex vitro. The very first approach means hybridization also presented. Several physiological parameters evaluated 26 submitted water-deficit regime. Plant behavior under greatly varied among genotypes, which showed high phenotype plasticity. Three that able cope water restriction without compromising net CO2 assimilation identified highly results obtained elucidate open way long-term program based selection drought-tolerant plants.