VviPLATZ1 is a major factor that controls female flower morphology determination in grapevine

Plant genetic sex determinants that mediate the transition to dioecy are predicted to be diverse, as this type of mating system independently evolved multiple times in angiosperms. Wild Vitis species are dioecious with individuals producing morphologically distinct female or male flowers; whereas, modern domesticated Vitis vinifera cultivars form hermaphrodite flowers capable of self-pollination. Here, we identify the VviPLATZ1 transcription factor as a key candidate female flower morphology factor that localizes to the Vitis SEX-DETERMINING REGION. The expression pattern of this gene correlates with the formation reflex stamens, a prominent morphological phenotype of female flowers. After generating CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited alleles in a hermaphrodite genotype, phenotype analysis shows that individual homozygous lines produce flowers with reflex stamens. Taken together, our results demonstrate that loss of VviPLATZ1 function is a major factor that controls female flower morphology in Vitis.

Style length and flower morphology of three eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars from Iran affected by fruit load

<p>A common feature of eggplant is its heterostyly. Long-style flowers bear fruits whereas short style ones fail to do so. Heterostyly is influenced by some factors such as genotype, climatic conditions and fruit load. In this study three eggplant cultivars from Iran were cultivated under greenhouse condition. The influence of presence of fruit (two fruits and four fruits) or absence of that on style length and some other flower morphological was studied in three positions of single, basal and additional. The presence of fruit, specially four fruits reduced style length, stigma width as well as mass of flower, pistil and stigma compared to the control in all times during fruit growth, and after fruit harvest they increased again. Fruit load didn’t affect the number of stamen and stamen length. These effects were observed in all three positons of single, basal and additional flowers of all three cultivars. Generally this study showed that fruit load has decreasing effect on style length and size of flowers forming after fruit setting, which reversed after fruit harvesting.</p>

A Continuum of Conspicuousness, Floral Signals, and Pollination Systems in Rhynchospora (Cyperaceae): Evidence of Ambophily and Entomophily in a Mostly Anemophilous Family

Floral colors and odors are evolutionary strategies used by plants to attract pollinating animals and may be absent in mostly anemophilous groups, such as Cyperaceae. However, considering that insects are floral visitors of some Rhynchospora Vahl species, the objective of this study was to characterize the floral traits and pollination systems within this genus. We analyzed 16 Rhynchospora species with regard to flower morphology, colors of floral structures, floral scents, pollen vectors, and pollination systems. We verified factors that can favor abiotic or biotic pollination in a continuum of floral traits in Rhynchospora. The flower morphology of R. dissitispicula T. Koyama, with inconspicuous brown spikelets in open panicles, is interpreted as a complete adaptation to anemophily. Conspicuous floral traits in Rhynchospora were distinguished from the background by bees. Some species also emit floral volatiles, and we made the first record of floral scent chemistry within the genus. Most of the compounds emitted by these species are known as attractants to many floral-visiting insects. Bees, beetles, and flies visited species with conspicuous floral traits and contributed to fruit set. The investigated floral traits form a continuum across the different pollination systems in Rhynchospora, from anemophilous to ambophilous and then to entomophilous representatives.

Comparative flower morphology of Agapanthus africanus and A. praecox (Amaryllidaceae)

The structure of Agapanthus africanus and A. praecox flowers was studied on permanent cross-sectional and longitudinal sections using a light microscope. The genus Agapanthus belongs to the subfamily Agapanthoideae, the family Amaryllidaceae, which is characterized by the presence of the upper ovary, septal nectaries and fruit – fleshy capsule. Micromorphological studies of the flower are considered as a way for detection of unknown plant features, adjustment of plants to specialized ways of pollination and determining the first stages of morphogenesis of fruit, and further use these features in taxonomy. 10 flowers of A. africanus and A. praecox were sectioned using standard methods of Paraplast embedding and serial sectioning at 20 micron thickness. Sections were stained with Safranin and Astra Blau and mounted in Eukitt. It was found that in the studied species the tepals have single-bundle traces. The vascular system of the superior ovary consists of a three bundle dorsal vein, of the ventral roots complex, which are reorganized into paired ventral bundles of the carpel, which form traces to ovules. For the first time, the following gynoecium zones were detected in A. africanus: a synascidiate structural zone with a height of about 560 μm and a fertile symplicate structural zone with a height of about 380 μm and a hemisymplicate zone of 2580 μm. In A. praecox gynoecium, there is a synascidiate structural zone with a height of 200 μm and a symplicate structural zone of 600 μm and a hemisymplicate zone of 620 μm. Septal nectaries appear in the hemisymplicate zone and open with nectar fissures at the base of the column, with a total septal nectar height of 2880 μm in A. africanus and 820 μm in A. praecox. The ovary roof is 300 µm in A. africanus and 200 µm in A. praecox. Triple dorsal bundles of carpels in A. africanus have been identified, which could be considered as adaptation of different stages of morphogenesis of fruit to dehiscence. The new data obtained by the vascular anatomy of the flower and the presence of different ovary zones significantly add to the information about anatomical and morphological features of the studied species, which can be further used in the taxonomy of the family Amaryllidaceae.

Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellites Markers in Centaurium Grandiflorum ssp. Boissieri

Estimation of outcrossing/selfing rates and characterization of genetic diversity with microsatellite markers are crucial to understand the evolution of mating system in plant species. We developed, optimized and characterized eight new primers pairs for Centaurium grandiflorum ssp. boissieri and transferred them to three subspecies of Centaurium quadrifolium. Two SSR loci were transferred from Sabatia campestris to the four mentioned taxa of Centaurium. Polymorphisms, He, Ho and H-W deviations were estimated in two populations of C. grandiflorum ssp. boissieri, and in seven individuals of C. quadrifolium ssp. barrelieri, C. quadrifolium ssp. parviflorum and C. quadrifolium ssp. quadrifolium. A total of 80 individuals were used in these experiments. The number of polymorphic loci varied among species from one to ten. A total number of 127 alleles were scored. The average number of alleles per locus was 12.7. He was higher than Ho in all sampled populations. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found for some loci in different species. This is the first report of microsatellites successfully amplified in the whole Centaurium genus. They will be valuable for estimation of mating system parameters, genetic diversity and explore its relationship with the wide flower morphology, especially anther-stigma separation, found along the genus.

Identity of mass-flowering crops moderates functional trait composition of pollinator communities

Context Pollinator declines and functional homogenization of farmland insect communities have been reported. Mass-flowering crops (MFC) can support pollinators by providing floral resources. Knowledge about how MFC with dissimilar flower morphology affect functional groups and functional trait compositions of wild bee communities is scarce. Objective We investigated how two morphologically different MFC, land cover and local flower cover of semi-natural habitats (SNH) and landscape diversity affect wild bees and their functional traits (body size, tongue length, sociality, foraging preferences). Methods We conducted landscape-level wild bee surveys in SNH of 30 paired study landscapes covering an oilseed rape (OSR) (Brassica napus L.) gradient. In 15 study landscapes faba beans (Vicia faba L.) were grown, paired with respective control landscapes without grain legumes. Results Faba bean cultivation promoted bumblebees (Bombus spp. Latreille), whereas non-Bombus densities were only driven by the local flower cover of SNH. High landscape diversity enhanced wild bee species richness. Faba bean cultivation enhanced the proportions of social wild bees, bees foraging on Fabaceae and slightly of long-tongued bumblebees. Solitary bee proportions increased with high covers of OSR. High local SNH flower covers mitigated changes of mean bee sizes caused by faba bean cultivation. Conclusions Our results show that MFC support specific functional bee groups adapted to their flower morphology and can alter pollinators` functional trait composition. We conclude that management practices need to target the cultivation of functionally diverse crops, combined with high local flower covers of diverse SNH to create heterogeneous landscapes, which sustain diverse pollinator communities.

Keragaman Fenotipik Bunga Telang Double Petal Asal Indonesia dan Thailand Berdasarkan Morfologi Bunga

AbstrakBunga telang (Clitoria ternatea L.) merupakan tanaman legum yang bagian bunganya telah banyak dimanfaatkan. Double petal adalah salah satu varian spesies bunga telang yang banyak ditemukan di Asia Tenggara. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi keragaman fenotipik plasma nutfah bunga telang double petal asal Indonesia (Bali, Jawa Barat, dan Jawa Timur) dan Thailand berdasarkan morfologi bunga. Percobaan disusun dalam Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan tiga ulangan. Data morfologi dianalisis menggunakan analisis multivariat berupa Analisis Komponen Utama (Principal Component Analysis) dan Analisis Klaster (Cluster Analysis) dengan bantuan program NTSYS 2.1. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat lima komponen utama yang berpengaruh terhadap keragaman aksesi dengan persentase keragaman kumulatif 88,82%. Karakter tipe bunga, susunan mahkota bunga, keberadaan lunas, tipe benang sari, dan posisi kepala putik memberi pengaruh terbesar terhadap keragaman aksesi. Analisis klaster membagi aksesi-aksesi tersebut menjadi dua klaster dengan koefisien ketidakmiripan 3,01–6,83. Dari hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa bunga telang double petal asal Indonesia dan Thailand memiliki keragaman yang luas dan kekerabatan yang jauh; aksesi asal Bali memiliki morfologi bunga dan klaster yang berbeda dengan aksesi asal Jawa Barat, Jawa Timur, dan Thailand. Informasi ini akan bermanfaat dalam merencanakan pengelolaan plasma nutfah dan pemuliaan bunga telang double petal. Abstract Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) is a legumeplant of which flower parts are widely used. One of butterfly pea variant is double petal which commonly found in Southern Asia. This study aimed to evaluate phenotypic diversity of double petal butterfly pea germplasm from Indonesia (Bali, West Java, and East Java) and Thailand based on flower morphology. The experiment was arranged in randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Morphology data were subjected to multivariate analysis using Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis and performed by NTSYS 2.1. The result showed that there were five significant principal components that cumulatively explained 88.82% of variance. Existence of keel, aestivation type, position of stigma, type of stamen, and flower type gave high contributions to the diversity of accessions. Cluster analysis grouped the accessions into two clusters with dissimilarity coefficient from 3.01–6.83. From the results, it can be concluded that double petal butterfly pea from Indonesia and Thailand have wide diversity and genetic relationship; the accessions from Bali have different flower morphology and cluster compared to the accessions from East Java, West Java, and Thailand. The information will help planning management of the germplasm and breeding double petal butterfly pea.