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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #179510
Title: STARCH IN SOYBEAN NECTARIES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN GLYCINE SPECIES AND CULTIVARS ATTRACTIVE TO POLLINATORS AND CULTIVARS NOT ATTRACTIVE TO POLLINATORS

Author
item HEALY, ROSARIA - ISU
item HORNER, HARRY - ISU
item Palmer, Reid

Submitted to: Botanical Society of America Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/18/2005
Publication Date: 8/18/2005
Citation: Healy, R., Horner, H.T., Palmer, R.G. 2005. Starch in soybean nectaries: a comparison between glycine species and cultivars attractive to pollinators and cultivars not attractive to pollinators. Botanical Society of America Abstracts. Paper No. 188.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Starch was quantified and compared in the special parenchyma and non-guard-cell epidermis of Glycine tomentella, G. soja, G. max cv Clark, cv Raiden, cv Beeson, and cv Wells. G. tomentella and G. max cv Raiden are both attractive to pollinator insects. G. tomentella is suspected to outcross readily, and Texas-grown plants of cv Raiden are highly attractive to insects based on seed set. Studies in Japan have indicated 9-19% outcrossing for four populations of G. soja. The other G. max cultivars in the study are not attractive to pollinators, and have less than 1% outcrossing. Starch builds up in the special parenchyma and epidermal cells of soybeans, reaching a maximum accumulation within 24 hours of anthesis. Flowers from each species/cv were fixed in aldehydes, embedded in resin, sectioned, and starch identified with the periodic acid/Schiff's technique. Starch grains were counted in defined areas within the nectaries. Flowers from each species/cv were also thin sectioned, stained, and the areas of starch grains were measured. Preliminary results show a trend in soybean flowers attractive to pollinators, with a significantly greater number of starch grains which take up a greater area/cell measured in G. max cv Raiden, and G. tomentella, in contrast to G. max cv Clark, cv Beeson, and cv Wells. Implications regarding the potential use of this information for the production of hybrid soybeans will be discussed.