scholarly journals Reproductive barriers in cassava: Factors and implications for genetic improvement

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260576
Author(s):  
Massaine Bandeira e Sousa ◽  
Luciano Rogerio Braatz de Andrade ◽  
Everton Hilo de Souza ◽  
Alfredo Augusto Cunha Alves ◽  
Eder Jorge de Oliveira

Cassava breeding is hampered by high flower abortion rates that prevent efficient recombination among promising clones. To better understand the factors causing flower abortion and propose strategies to overcome them, we 1) analyzed the reproductive barriers to intraspecific crossing, 2) evaluated pollen-pistil interactions to maximize hand pollination efficiency, and 3) identified the population structure of elite parental clones. From 2016 to 2018, the abortion and fertilization rates of 5,748 hand crossings involving 91 parents and 157 progenies were estimated. We used 16,300 single nucleotide polymorphism markers to study the parents’ population structure via discriminant analysis of principal components, and three clusters were identified. To test for male and female effects, we used a mixed model in which the environment (month and year) was fixed, while female and male (nested to female) were random effects. Regardless of the population structure, significant parental effects were identified for abortion and fertilization rates, suggesting the existence of reproductive barriers among certain cassava clones. Matching ability between cassava parents was significant for pollen grains that adhered to the stigma surface, germinated pollen grains, and the number of fertilized ovules. Non-additive genetic effects were important to the inheritance of these traits. Pollen viability and pollen-pistil interactions in cross- and self-pollination were also investigated to characterize pollen-stigma compatibility. Various events related to pollen tube growth dynamics indicated fertilization abnormalities. These abnormalities included the reticulated deposition of callose in the pollen tube, pollen tube growth cessation in a specific region of the stylet, and low pollen grain germination rate. Generally, pollen viability and stigma receptivity varied depending on the clone and flowering stage and were lost during flowering. This study provides novel insights into cassava reproduction that can assist in practical crossing and maximize the recombination of contrasting clones.

HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 762A-762
Author(s):  
Wol-Soo Kim* ◽  
Sang-Hyun Lee

In order to investigate the cause of differences of mature pollen in Asian pear (Pyrus phyfolia) that are collected from various sources for the artificial pollination, various factors were measured as below: the composition of nonstructural carbohydrate in bud at 30 days after full bloom, the contents of crude protein in skin, cytosol and membrane, and the affinity for lectin (CON-A: Concanavalin, type III A) of glycoprotein in cytosol of pollen were measured. Contents of sucrose and glucose in buds influenced pollen germination rate and pollen tube growth, respectively. Therefore, soluble types of carbohydrates stored in bud were regarded as influencing on pollen germination rate and pollen tube growth. Pollen, which showed low activity, had low affinity on CON-A, lectin of glycoprotein, because it had fragile membrane, proteins in cells were denatured to pollen surface and certain enzymes concerned in pollen germination lost stability and activity. Pollens that showed high activity contained 92 kDa protein while others not. This was assumed as influencing on control of pollen viability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (47) ◽  
pp. E11188-E11197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joëlle K. Muhlemann ◽  
Trenton L. B. Younts ◽  
Gloria K. Muday

Plant reproduction requires long-distance growth of a pollen tube to fertilize the female gametophyte. Prior reports suggested that mutations altering synthesis of flavonoids, plant specialized metabolites that include flavonols and anthocyanins, impair pollen development in several species, but the mechanism by which flavonols enhanced fertility was not defined. Here, we used genetic approaches to demonstrate that flavonols enhanced pollen development by reducing the abundance of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We further showed that flavonols reduced high-temperature stress-induced ROS accumulation and inhibition of pollen tube growth. The anthocyanin reduced (are) tomato mutant had reduced flavonol accumulation in pollen grains and tubes. This mutant produced fewer pollen grains and had impaired pollen viability, germination, tube growth, and tube integrity, resulting in reduced seed set. Consistent with flavonols acting as ROS scavengers, are had elevated levels of ROS. The pollen viability, tube growth and integrity defects, and ROS accumulation in are were reversed by genetic complementation. Inhibition of ROS synthesis or scavenging of excess ROS with an exogenous antioxidant treatment also reversed the are phenotypes, indicating that flavonols function by reducing ROS levels. Heat stress resulted in increased ROS in pollen tubes and inhibited tube growth, with more pronounced effects in the are mutant that could be rescued by antioxidant treatment. These results are consistent with increased ROS inhibiting pollen tube growth and with flavonols preventing ROS from reaching damaging levels. These results reveal that flavonol metabolites regulate plant sexual reproduction at both normal and elevated temperatures by maintaining ROS homeostasis.


2011 ◽  
pp. 18-23
Author(s):  
M.I. Fedorova ◽  
S.A. Vetrova ◽  
E.G. Kozar

Phenotypic characteristics defining the CMS in plants of red beet have been studied. The level of sterility varied from 5 to 100 %. Four groups of anthers were sorted out where each group distinguished by certain color, diameter, the number and size of pollen grains inside. The increase of sterility of plants provoked the decrease of pollen diameter, pollen viability in fertile flowers; along this the speed of pollen tube growth is reduced.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Weimiao Liu ◽  
Liai Xu ◽  
Hui Lin ◽  
Jiashu Cao

The growth of plant cells is inseparable from relaxation and expansion of cell walls. Expansins are a class of cell wall binding proteins, which play important roles in the relaxation of cell walls. Although there are many members in expansin gene family, the functions of most expansin genes in plant growth and development are still poorly understood. In this study, the functions of two expansin genes, AtEXPA4 and AtEXPB5 were characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana. AtEXPA4 and AtEXPB5 displayed consistent expression patterns in mature pollen grains and pollen tubes, but AtEXPA4 also showed a high expression level in primary roots. Two single mutants, atexpa4 and atexpb5, showed normal reproductive development, whereas atexpa4atexpb5 double mutant was defective in pollen tube growth. Moreover, AtEXPA4 overexpression enhanced primary root elongation, on the contrary, knocking out AtEXPA4 made the growth of primary root slower. Our results indicated that AtEXPA4 and AtEXPB5 were redundantly involved in pollen tube growth and AtEXPA4 was required for primary root elongation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 101-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Śnieżko ◽  
Krystyna Winiarczyk

After selfpollination of <em>Sinapis alba</em> L. pollen tubes growth is inhibited on the stigma. The pollen grains germinate 3-4 hours after pollination. The pollen give rise to one or more pollen tubes. They grow along the papillae. In the place of contact between the papilla and pollen tube the pellicula is digested. Then the direction of pollen tube growth changes completely. Pollen tubes grow back on the exine of their own pollen grain, or turn into the air. The pollen tubes growth was inhibited in 6-8 hours after selfpollination. After crosspollination usually there is no incompatibility reaction.


2009 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. CISNEROS-LÓPEZ ◽  
L. E. MENDOZA-ONOFRE ◽  
H. A. ZAVALETA-MANCERA ◽  
V. A. GONZÁLEZ-HERNÁNDEZ ◽  
G. MORA-AGUILERA ◽  
...  

SUMMARYSix pairs of isogenic lines of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) were sown in field plots in Montecillo, State of México (2240 m altitude), in 2005 and 2006. Crosses A (♀)×B (♂) were done in each pair. In A-lines, the length of pistil, stigma, style and ovary, as well as the ovary width, were measured. In B-lines, pollen diameter, viability (cytoplasm density) and production were evaluated. Pollen germination and pollen tube growth in the pistils of the A-lines, were quantified in vivo with aniline blue and epifluorescence 18 h after pollination (HAP), while fertilized pistils were counted at 96 HAP. Histological studies on both pollinated and non-pollinated pistils were performed in one male-sterile line. Seed yield, mean-seed weight, seeds per panicle and seed set (SS; seeds/flower/panicle) were determined at harvest. Pollen viability was the variable most related to pollen germination and pollen tube growth. Stigma receptivity was not associated with its morphology. Growth of the pollen tube in stigma, style and ovary was observed in the transmitting tissue 18 HAP, running parallel to the vascular tissue. Yield under chilling field temperatures (minimum average of 6 and 8°C) prevailing during flower development and pollination ranged from 7 to 12 g/panicle. The differences in seed production and SS among A×B crosses did not depend on the amount and viability of pollen.


2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanjana Luangsuwalai ◽  
Saichol Ketsa ◽  
Apinya Wisutiamonkul ◽  
Wouter G. van Doorn

Dendrobium flowers, pollinated with pollinia from individuals of the same cultivar or other cultivars, usually show rapid post-pollination effects such as floral epinasty, a change in flower colour and early perianth senescence. However, pollination with the pollinia of cv. Karen or cv. Kenny flowers did not produce these effects. We compared these two cultivars with cvv. Pompadour, Willie and Sakura, and tested the hypotheses that the differences were related to levels of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the pollinia, ethylene production by the pollinated flower, pollen germination, or pollen tube growth. The pollinia of cvv. Karen and Kenny contained as much ACC as the pollinia of cv. Pompadour, but less than the pollinia of cvv. Willie and Sakura. Ethylene production after pollination with cvv. Karen and Kenny pollinia was much lower than after pollination with pollinia from the other cultivars tested. The pollen grains showed normal germination, but cvv. Karen and Kenny pollen grains exhibited much less tube growth than those of the other cultivars. Pollen tube growth in cv. Pompadour was positively affected by ethylene. Ethylene was required and sufficient for the induction of epinasty, rapid perianth colour changes and early perianth senescence, very similar to the changes after pollination. The absence of these effects after pollination with cvv. Kenny and Karen seems to be due to the low ethylene production induced by the pollinia of these cultivars. This low ethylene production could not be accounted for by the ACC content in the pollinia of cvv. Kenny and Karen.


HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 425-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Lang ◽  
E. James Parrie

Pollen from six southern highbush blueberry cultivars derived from Vaccinium corymbosum L. and one or more other species (V. darrowi Camp, V. ashei Reade, and V. angustifolium Aiton) was incubated on nutrient agar to determine tetrad viability, pollen tube growth rates, and incidence of multiple pollen tube germinations. `Avonblue' pollen had a significantly lower tetrad germination percentage than `Georgiagem', `Flordablue', `Sharpblue', `Gulfcoast', or `O'Neal', all of which had >90% viable tetrads. The in vitro growth rate of `O'Neal' pollen tubes was significantly higher than the growth rates of `Sharpblue' and `Georgiagem pollen tubes. Of those tetrads that were viable, more than two pollen tubes germinated from 83% and 91% of the `Gulfcoast' and `Sharpblue' tetrads, respectively, while only 11% of the `Flordablue' tetrads produced more than two pollen tubes. The total number of pollen tubes germinated per 100 tetrads ranged from 157 (`Flordablue') to 324 (`Sharpblue'), resulting in actual pollen grain viabilities ranging from 39% to 81%. Genetic differences in pollen vigor, as indicated by pollen viability, pollen tube growth rates, and multiple pollen tube germinations, may influence blueberry growers' success in optimizing the beneficial effects of cross-pollination on fruit development.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document