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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424306
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Small Fruits and Ornamental Plants to Enhance Traits Desirable to Consumers and Tolerance to Biotic and Abiotic Stress

Location: Southern Horticultural Research Unit

Title: Estimation of Genome Size Variation in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Author
item CHEN, SISI - University Of Florida
item MALINOWSKI, DARIUSZ - Texas A&M University
item Sakhanokho, Hamidou
item REVYNTHI, ALEXANDRA - University Of Florida
item WU, XINGBO - University Of Florida

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/14/2025
Publication Date: 7/11/2025
Citation: Chen, S., Malinowski, D., Sakhanokho, H.F., Revynthi, A., Wu, X. 2025. Estimation of Genome Size Variation in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. HortScience. 60(8), 1282-1288.

Interpretive Summary: Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.) also known as Chinese hibiscus is a popular ornamental crop due to its abundant flower color and robust flowering ability. Extensive breeding efforts have produced numerous tropical hibiscus cultivars, significantly contributing to the ornamental industry. However, limited genetic information is available for this crop, posing challenges to the development of new cultivars. This study aimed to assess the genome size or the amount of DNA variation of 98 tropical hibiscus accessions using flow cytometry. Root tissue was found to yield more reliable results than leaf tissue for flow cytometric analysis in this crop. The genome size evaluation unveiled a wide spectrum of genetic diversity within tropical hibiscus. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the genetic diversity, offer a foundation for future breeding efforts and directly support the genomic advancement of tropical hibiscus.

Technical Abstract: Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.) is a popular ornamental crop due to its abundant flower color and robust flowering ability. Extensive breeding efforts have produced numerous tropical hibiscus cultivars, significantly contributing to the ornamental industry. However, limited genetic information is available for this crop, posing challenges to the development of new cultivars. This study aimed to assess the genome size variation of 98 tropical hibiscus accessions using flow cytometry. Root tissue was found to yield more reliable results than leaf tissue for flow cytometric analysis in this crop. The genome size evaluation unveiled a wide spectrum of genetic diversity within tropical hibiscus ranging from 3.06 Gbp (‘Queen Aussie’) to 12.75 Gbp (‘Joanne’). Among the accessions, eight exhibited small genome sizes under 4.2 Gbp, while three accessions possessed significantly large genomes over 11 Gbp. The remaining 87 accessions had genome sizes ranging from 7 to 10 Gbp. In addition, F1 hybrids were generated with greater success when parents had comparable genome size. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the genetic diversity, offer a foundation for future breeding efforts and directly support the genomic advancement of tropical hibiscus.