Somatic fusion, also called
protoplast fusion, is a type of
genetic modification in plants by which two distinct species of plants are fused together to form a new
hybrid plant with the characteristics of both, a
somatic hybrid. Hybrids have been produced either between different varieties of the same species (e.g. between non-flowering
potato plants and flowering potato plants) or between two different species (e.g. between wheat
triticum and rye
secale to produce
Triticale).