The biological peculiarities of Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl., its vegetative and generative multiplication call for genetic studies aimed at practical benefits. The reproductive capacity through inbreeding has not been exploited although inbreeding can be used in increasing of variability (Butnaru, 1992). Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl. behaviour in crossbreeding and inbreeding was different.
The beneficial effect of cross-pollination was evidently positive in more than 59 % of the traits. Only 8 % of the analysed characters were favoured by inbreeding. In 33 % of the traits there were insignificant differences between cross-pollination and inbreeding. The favourable effects of cross-pollination were observed in capsule volume, number of seeds per capsule, weight of seed/capsule and percentage of germination. The beginning and the end of germination took place earlier in hybrids than in inbreds. The germination period was also shorter. The germination capacity was by 471.3 % higher in cross-pollination. Cross-breeding influenced the most important trait, viability of seeds, and it also promoted genetic recombinations and species evolution.
Inbreeding influenced favourably the percentage of fertile capsule formation, d ± sd = +19.01 ± 12.87 % (p > 0.01). There were small and insignificant differences in the 1000-seed weight, length and diameter of capsule and capsule shape index. Most of these traits are not essential for the reproductive capacity of the species and its evolution.
In Saintpaulia the inbreeding was a source of variability because the important traits weight/capsule (621-spring CV % = 56.6), 1000-seed weight (621-open pollination CV % = 90.75) and number of seeds/capsule (621-spring CV % = 75.88) exhibited large variability.