Caraway (Carum carvi) is an economically important spice and medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family (syn. Umbelliferrae). Farmers often favor annual cultivation of caraway. However, the annual varieties, which are currently available, do not provide satisfying seed yields. Employing heterosis can be a promising approach to increase yield. Breeding of synthetic varieties utilizes heterosis and may be the method of choice for future caraway breeding. Knowledge of the outcrossing rate is important to evaluate the effectiveness of this breeding method. However, the outcrossing rate of caraway is unknown so far. We estimated the outcrossing rate of seven inbred lines under field conditions in a neighbor-balanced polycross design. For this purpose, we implemented a high-throughput genotyping system (PACE), accompanied by a high-throughput method for DNA extraction adapted to caraway. In total, more than 1300 individual plants were genotyped. We found a high variability of lines regarding outcrossing rate and other traits associated with flowering. The outcrossing rate was on average 66.5% and ranged from 51.6 to 82%. We discussed implications of our findings on the targeted breeding method.

中文翻译：

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在一年生葛缕子中培育合成品种：使用高通量基因分型系统观察多交中的异交率

香菜（Carum carvi）是伞形科（同义词伞形科）的一种经济上重要的香料和药用植物。农民通常喜欢每年种植葛缕子。然而，目前可用的一年生品种不能提供令人满意的种子产量。利用杂种优势可能是提高产量的一种有前途的方法。合成品种的育种利用杂种优势，可能是未来香菜育种的首选方法。了解异交率对于评估这种育种方法的有效性很重要。然而，到目前为止，葛缕子的异交率尚不清楚。我们在相邻平衡的多杂交设计中估计了田间条件下七个自交系的异交率。为此，我们实施了高通量基因分型系统 (PACE)，伴随着适用于葛缕子的高通量 DNA 提取方法。总共对 1300 多株植物进行了基因分型。我们发现品系在异交率和与开花相关的其他性状方面存在很大差异。异交率平均为 66.5%，范围从 51.6% 到 82%。我们讨论了我们的发现对目标育种方法的影响。