u/Intelligent_One_4140

I harvested a hybrid fruit from Physalis Peruviana that was pollinated with Tomatillo(Physalis Ixocarpa) pollen. It had lots of tiny, immature, underdeveloped seeds inside while the seeds from another selfed fruit were completely normal. This means the embryo probably aborted but fertilization was succesful.
On the second picture you can see the hybrid seeds next to the selfed seeds.
The Tomatillo x Groundcherry seeds also failed to germinate(normal Groundcherry seeds I planted in the same spot germinated just fine)
Hopefully some of my other combinations(that haven't ripened yet) will have viable seeds.

I decided to focus solely on Physalis for breeding because it seems to have a lot of potential as a genus with lots of diversity. I currently have 4 very different Physalis species growing and they are doing very well. I tried lots of combinations and the most open to crossing so far seems to be the south american Physalis Peruviana(I am not sure if this is a diploid, tetraploid, mixoploid... these have been found to have lots of variation in ploidy)

Earlier in the season I also pollinated a bunch of Tomatillo flowers with Physalis Pruinosa(Ground Cherry) Pollen. Most flowers didn't set fruit at all but one has and today I found it on the ground, probably fully ripe.

The fruit was almost empty but I managed to obtain 4 seeds. I will grow these out in pots and then move them below a grow light in autumn so that the fruits can mature

I will hybridize 5 of the following species to determine which combinations work and to breed new, improved lines:
Physalis Pruinosa(Ground Cherries), 1st Image
Physalis Ixocarpa(Tomatillos, I chose a variety with giant fruits), 2nd Image
Physalis Virginiana(a rhizomatous perennial adapted to temperate climates that can survive down to zone 4), 3rd Image
Physalis Peruviana
Physalis Alkekengi(also a rhizomatous perennial, I know this species probably won't hybridize with the other because it is the only species that isn't native to the americas which makes it quite distant)