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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sunflower and Plant Biology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #175338
Title: THE SEED-SET AND POLLEN-STIGMA COMPATIBILITY IN LEYMUS CHINENSIS

Author
item ZHANG, WEIDONG - CHINESE ACAD.SCI. BEIJING
item QI, DONGMEI - CHINESE ACAD.SCI. BEIJING
item LIU, GONGSHE - CHINESE ACAD.SCI. BEIJING
item Jan, Chao-Chien

Submitted to: Grass and Forage Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/2004
Publication Date: 4/1/2004
Citation: Zhang, W., Qi, D., Liu, G., Jan, C.C. 2004. The seed-set and pollen-stigma compatibility in Leymus chinensis. Grass and Forage Science. 59:180-185.

Interpretive Summary: Chinese leymus (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. = Aneurolepidium chinensis (Trin.) Kitag.) is a perennial species of Poaceae distributed widely in East Asia, including China, Japan, Mongolia and eastern Russia. The height of the grass is about 30-140 cm, and it has strong rhizomes. It is a cool-season grass found on arid and alkaline lands. The high production and nutrition value makes the species important for animal husbandry. Owing to the exacerbated environmental problems and overload of animals on grasslands, there is an increasing demand for the grass to restore and conserve the deteriorating natural grasslands. However, little information about the sexual reproduction of this forage is available. It had been reported that above 92% of pollen grains in mature anthers were viable and that microspore development didn't hinder the seed-set of the grass. However, the question of whether Chinese leymus is a self-incompatible forage was not previously addressed. This paper describes our recent studies on seed-set rates and the pollen-stigma compatibility under self- and cross-pollination. Our results suggest that Chinese leymus is a self-incompatible species, and the main factor influencing its seed-set in natural conditions lies in the compatibility of pollen-stigma interaction. This information will be useful for future breeding of the species.

Technical Abstract: Chinese leymus (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. ) is an important forage distributed in East Asia. The seed-set rates and the pollen-stigma compatibility of six populations were investigated in 2001. The results showed that the seed-set rates ranged from 6.5 to 56.7% under open-pollination and 0.56% to 4.26% under self-pollination. The former is significantly higher than the latter in each population. Microscopic observations showed that only 5.51 to 11.67% of self-pollinated pollens were compatible, but most cross-pollinated pollens were compatible. The tubes of most incompatible pollens aborted when they just entered into the stigmas. Among the six populations, there is a significant correlation between seed-set rates under open-pollination and the compatible pollen rates under cross-pollination. These results suggest that Chinese leymus is a self-incompatible species, and the main factor influencing its seed-set in natural conditions lies in the compatibility of pollen-stigma interaction. This information will be useful for future breeding of the species.