APPLICATION OF HETEROSIS IN THE SELECTION OF NEW CULTIVARS OF SEED LOTUS

Experiments were conducted during 1981-1987 on the cross-breeding of seed lotus Ne-lumbo nucifera.The results confirmed the use of heterosis as an important way of selecting new cultivars of seed lotus.Two new cultivars were selected by cross-breeding the introduced cultivars.They are cultivar No.13 (Beihua Jianlian譎ongqianye) and cultivar No.2 (Beiyelian譎onghua Jianlian).The new cultivars show apparant and stable heterosis,with yields 20% higher than that of the control cultivar (Honghua Jianlian).Procedures were proposed for the prevention of undesired hybridization of the new cultivars.