Exceptionally high genetic variance of the doubled haploid (DH) population of poplar

Doubled haploid (DH) plants have been widely used for breeding and biological research in crops. Populus spp. have been used as model woody plant species for biological research. However, the induction of DH poplar plants is onerous, and limited biological or breeding work has been carried out on DH individuals or populations. In this study, we provide an effective protocol for poplar haploid induction based on an anther culture method. A total of 96 whole DH plant lines were obtained using an F-1 hybrid of Populus simonii x P. nigra as a donor tree. The phenotypes of the DH population showed exceptionally high variance when compared to those of half-sib progeny of the donor tree. Each DH line displayed distinct features compared to those of the other DH lines or the donor tree. Additionally, some excellent homozygous lines have the potential to be model plants in genetic and breeding studies.