Interspecific Hybridization Barrier Between Paeonia ostii and P. ludlowii

<i>Paeonia ludlowii</i> is a threatened and valuable germplasm in the cultivated tree peony gene pool, with distinctive traits such as tall stature, pure yellow flowers, and scarlet foliage in autumn. However, the crossability barrier limits gene transfer from <i>P. ludlowii</i> to cultivated tree peony. Therefore, our study investigated the reasons for the lack of crossability between <i>P. ludlowii</i> and <i>Paeonia ostii</i> 'Fengdan'. Distant cross pollination (DH) resulted in the formation of many calloses at the ends of the pollen tubes, which grew non-polar, twisted, entangled, and often stopped in the style. Pollen tubes elongated the fastest in self-pollination (CK), and pollen tubes elongated faster and fewer pollen tube abnormalities were observed in stigmas treated with KCl solution before pollination (KH) than in DH. During pollen-pistil interactions, the absence of stigma exudates, high levels of H₂O₂, O₂^-, MDA, ^•OH, ABA, and MeJA, and lower levels of BR and GA₃ may negatively affect pollen germination and pollen tube elongation in the pistil of <i>P. ostii</i> 'Fengdan'. Pollen tubes in CK and KH penetrated the ovule into the embryo sac at 24 h after pollination, whereas only a few pollen tubes in DH penetrated the ovule at 36 h after pollination. Pre-embryo abnormalities and the inhibition of free nuclear endosperm division resulted in embryo abortion in most of the fruits of DH and many fruits of KH, which occurred between 10 and 20 days after pollination, whereas embryos in CK developed well. Early embryo abortion and endosperm abortion in most of the fruits of DH and KH led to seed abortion. Seed abortion in KH and DH was mainly due to an insufficient supply of auxins and gibberellins and lower content of soluble protein and soluble sugars. The cross failure between <i>P. ludlowii</i> and <i>P. ostii</i> 'Fengdan' is mostly caused by a pre-fertilization barrier. KH treatment can effectively promote pollen tube growth and facilitate normal development of hybrid embryos. These findings provide new insights into overcoming the interspecific hybridization barrier between cultivated tree peony varieties and wild species.