Flower Biology and the Effects of Different Chemicals on Pollen Germination of Some Early Sweet Cherry Cultivars

Abstract Sweet cherry fruit is a tasty and valuable product for consumers. In order to increase the export share of cherry, which is also very important in export, it is beneficial to grow with cherry varieties that mature at different times. The cherries offered to the market in the early period will be more attractive. In this study, morphological and biological features of pistils of early-maturing 'Cristalina', 'Early Lory', 'Prime Giant', fruit set rates and pollen germination status and some chemical applications were investigated. As a result, fruit sets of cultivars were 17.6-28.6% in two years. Significant differences were observed in pistil morphology of the cultivars and 'Cristalina' had shorter pistil (14.35-14.51 mm) and style (11.47-11.65 mm) lengths than the other cultivars. Greater deformation was observed in primary ovules of 'Early Lory' right after anthesis. There were not significant differences in pollen germination ratios of the cultivars, but boric acid treatments improved pollen germination ratios of all cultivars. Boric acid application increased pollen germination with 21%. This was followed by IAA (8%), GA3 (5%), KNO3 (4%). It was concluded based on present findings that in orchard establishment with the early cultivars, flower biology should momentously be assessed.

In vitro pollen viability of maize cultivars at different times of collection / Viabilidade in vitro de pólen de cultivares de milho em diferentes tempos de coleta

ABSTRACT: In the present study, we aimed to assess the in vitro viability of pollen grains from maize cultivars collected at different times and days in the field. Four cultivars (Sol da Manhã, XB 6012, XB 8010, and BRS 2020) were evaluated from the second to fifth day of anthesis in three times. Pollen samples were evaluated for their in vitro viability through standard germination test in liquid and solid media and tetrazolium staining. The experimental design was completely randomized, in 4x4x3 split-split plots with four replicates. Data were subjected to analysis of variance followed by a means clustering test and linear regression analysis. The average percentage of viable pollen varied according to the day, collection time, and cultivar. In general, XB 8010 and BRS 2020 had the highest frequency of viable pollen. The highest percentages of viable pollen were observed on the second day of anthesis at 10:00h.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a viabilidade in vitro de grãos de pólen de cultivares de milho em diferentes horários e dias no campo. Para tanto, foram coletados grãos de pólen de quatro cultivares (Sol da Manhã, XB 6012, XB 8010 e BRS 2020) do segundo ao quinto dia da antese em três horários diferentes. As amostras de pólen das cultivares foram avaliadas quanto à viabilidade in vitro por meio de teste de germinação em meio de cultura líquido e sólido e por teste de coloração em tetrazólio. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado em parcelas subsubdivididas 4x4x3 e quatro repetições. Dos dados obtidos a partir das análises de viabilidade polínica, fez-se a análise de variância, seguida de teste de agrupamento de média. As médias de viabilidade dos grãos de pólen de milho foram submetidas à análise de regressão linear. A porcentagem média de pólens viáveis variou de acordo com o dia, horário de coleta e cultivares de milho utilizadas. Em geral, os híbridos duplos apresentaram maior frequência de pólens viáveis. As maiores porcentagens de pólens viáveis foram observadas no segundo dia da antese e no horário das 10 horas da manhã.

Aislados de Bacillus provenientes de la rizósfera de cactus incrementan la germinación y la floración en Mammillaria spp. (Cactaceae) / Bacillus isolates from rhizosphere of cacti improve germination and bloom in Mammillaria spp. (Cactaceae)

Las cactáceas son la vegetación característica de las zonas áridas en México, donde las lluvias son escasas, la evapotranspiración es elevada y la fertilidad de los suelos es baja. Las plantas han desarrollado estrategias fisiológicas como la asociación con microorganismos en la zona de la rizósfera para incrementar la captación de nutrientes. En el presente trabajo se obtuvieron 4 aislados bacterianos de la rizósfera de Mammillaria magnimamma y Coryphantha radians, los que fueron nombrados como QAP3, QAP19, QAP22 y QAP24 e identificados genéticamente como pertenecientes al género Bacillus. Estos aislados exhibieron in vitro propiedades bioquímicas como solubilización de fosfatos, producción de ácido indolacético y actividad ACC deaminasa, que se relacionan con la promoción del crecimiento de las plantas. Dicha promoción fue ensayada inoculando semillas de M. magnimamma y evaluando luego algunos parámetros. Se encontró que todos los aislados incrementaron la germinación desde un 17% hasta un 34,3% (con respecto a las semillas testigo sin inocular); el aislado QAP24 fue el que presentó el mayor efecto en este sentido y permitió la germinación de todas las semillas viables (84,7%) 3 días antes que en el testigo. La inoculación de este aislado en plantas de Mammillaria zeilmanniana mostró un efecto positivo sobre la floración: en 2 meses dentro del período de un año se detectó un incremento en el número de plantas en floración con respecto a las plantas testigo, de hasta el 31,0% en uno de ellos. Se concluye que los aislados de Bacillus spp. caracterizados poseen potencial para ser empleados en programas de conservación de especies vegetales de zonas áridas.

Cacti are the most representative vegetation of arid zones in Mexico where rainfall is scarce, evapotranspiration is high and soil fertility is low. Plants have developed physiological strategies such as the association with microorganisms in the rhizosphere zone to increase nutrient uptake. In the present work, four bacterial isolates from the rhizosphere of Mammillaria magnimamma and Coryphantha radians were obtained and named as QAP3, QAP19, QAP22 and QAP24, and were genetically identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus, exhibiting in vitro biochemical properties such as phosphate solubilization, indoleacetic acid production and ACC deaminase activity related to plant growth promotion, which was tested by inoculating M. magnimamma seeds. It was found that all isolates increased germination from 17 to 34.3% with respect to the uninoculated control seeds, being QAP24 the one having the greatest effect, accomplishing the germination of viable seeds (84.7%) three days before the control seeds. Subsequently, the inoculation of Mammillari zeilmanniana plants with this isolate showed a positive effect on bloom, registering during two months from a one year period, an increase of up to 31.0% in the number of flowering plants compared to control plants. The characterized Bacillus spp. isolates have potential to be used in conservation programs of plant species from arid zones.

Morfo-anatomia e aspectos da biologia floral de Cabraela canjerana (Vell.) Mart. (Meliaceae) / Morphology, anatomy and floral biology of Cabrraela canjerana (Vell.) Mart. (Meliaceae)

Cabralea canjerana (Vell.) Mart. is a tree that occurs frequently in secondary forests of Maringá, Paraná, Brazil and presents a valuable wood. Its flowering time occurs from August to October and the anthesis occurs during the night. Its flowers are visited by Lepidoptera-Noctuidae. The flowers are unisexual and solitary or arranged in panicles. The perianth presents a papillose epidermis with striate cuticle and a parenchymatic mesophyll. Ten stamens constitute the androecium and are arranged in a staminal tube with anthers. The anthers present epidermis, endothecium, two median layers and secretory tapetum with binucleate cells. The semi- nferior ovary presents anatropous, bitegmic and crassinucelate ovules. The nectaries are located in the base of the ovary and staminal tube and they present papillose epidermis with stomata and secretory parenchyma with a conspicuous phloematic tissue. Key Words: Cabraleacanjerana, flower, anthesis, morphology, anatomy.

Cabralea canjerana (Vell) Mart. es una especie arbórea de madera valiosa que crece en matorrales secundarios de Maringá, Estado del Paraná, Brasil, de alli fueron recoled flores y capullos para el presente estudio. Florece desde agosto hasta octubre y presenta antesis nocturna. Sus flores son visitadas por lepidópteros de la familia Noctuidae. Las flores se disponen en panículas o son solitarias y son diclinas. El perianto tiene epidermis con cutfcula estriada y papilosa y mesófilo parenquimático. Los estambres en número de 10 forman un tubo estaminal, cuyas anteras son caracterizadas mortológicamente y luego anatómicamente, cuya pared está constituida por epidermis, endotecio, dos capas medias y tapete secretor binucleado. El ovario es semi-infero y presenta óvulos anátropos con dos tegumentos y crasinucelados. Los nectarios ocurren en la base del ovario y tubo estaminal y tienen epidermis con pelos, estomas y parénquima secretor con tejido floemático predominante