493 Inducing Polyploidy Pollen in Apple Cultivars

Abstract

To perform apple polyploid breeding the ways of inducing polyploidy pollen with temperature and chemicals were studied. Materials include 13 diploid cultivars: Red Chief, Dai Hong, Rose Red, Golden Delicious, Mollie's Delicious, Gala, Bella, Jonathan, Fuji, Qiu Kou Hong, and Yan Qing, OBIR-2T-47. Chemicals: Chloroform, N-nitroso-ethylurea. At the beginning of PMC meiosis, fruiting branching groups were covered with plastic bags to raise temperature or were treated with chemical. After covering, temperature during the day increased 2 °C, generally not lower than 0 °C. Whether branches received high temperature or chemicals treatment, polyploidy pollen was induced to produce. The pollen grain of CK is tricolporat, its polar view is triangular, and its diameter almost 40 μm, showing no difference in size. Rate of empty pollen grain is low. Pollen grains that were treated were different in size, and rate of empty pollen is high, part of pollen grains germinating colporat change into tetracolporat with a few polycolporat, its polar view is square, round, and oval. The diameter of large pollen grains was 45-48 μm, increased by 11-12%. Giant pollen grain are 50-68 μm, increased by 25%-70%. Rate of induction is different in different cultivars. For most cultivars, giant pollen grain is 0.3%-0.5%. Gala and OBIR-2T-47 were higher, reaching 2.5%-7%. Chemicals caused damage on cultivars. Delicious strains were easily damaged.