Incongruity in the interspecific crosses of Vitis L. Morphological abnormalities in the F₂ progeny

The F₂ generation of interspecific crosses of Vitis were examined for symptoms of incongruity, manifested as morphological abnormalities in the seedlings. Dwarfing, achlorophyllic variegation, deformed leaves, yellow mottling, sparse roots, and enation were documented. Most comparisons between classed of crosses were significantly different. The V. riparia x V. vinifera class exhibited the greatest frequency of abnormalities, the V. riparia x V. riparia class displayed the lowest frequency of abnormalities, and the highly-intercrossed V. riparia x French Hybrid class demonstrated an intermediate frequency of abnormal plants. When incongruity was viewed as a syndrome, or collection of symptoms, differences between classed were consistently evident. The highly-intercrossed nature of the French Hybrid ancestry appears to have been responsible for attenuating incongruity.