Effects of Xenia on Fruit and Seed in &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Vernicia fordii&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;

Shifei Qin,Huijuan Zhang,Keming Luo,Shuai Liu,Qingwei Zhang

doi:10.4236/ajps.2020.1111125

Abstract

Tung tree, Vernicia fordii, is a plant species producing industrial oil (tung oil). Although the cultivation of the tung tree produces great economic value, some important genetic and physiological traits in V. fordii have not been fully recognized. As one of them, the effect of pollen on the maternal plant (xenia) is unknown in V. fordii, which is an important part of the efficient cultivation system of many crops. This study performed hybridization with three important tung cultivars (Dami, Xiaomi and Putao) to evaluate the influence of pollen source on fruit and seed development. The results revealed that xenia is present in V. fordii, which influences fruit setting, fruit size, seed weight and oil content. Among the cultivars investigated, the hybridization combination with Putao as a female parent and Dami as male parent showed significant improvement of seed yield and oil content than self-pollination, which could be considered to apply in practice.

Highlights

Vernicia fordii (Hemsl) Airy Shaw, namely tung tree, is a woody plant species in the family Euphorbiaceae
The results revealed that xenia is present in V. fordii, which influences fruit setting, fruit size, seed weight and oil content
It has been well known that xenia, an important genetic phenomenon, is widespread in planta, which brings about changes in various aspects

Summary

Introduction

Vernicia fordii (Hemsl) Airy Shaw, namely tung tree, is a woody plant species in the family Euphorbiaceae. V. fordii seed can be used to produce tung oil that is excellent dried oil with characteristics of insulation, acid and alkali resistance, and anti-corrosion [1]. Tung oil is a kind of raw material to produce biodiesel [2]. Many important traits of V. fordii have not been understood in terms of breeding and utilization, in which xenia has not been paid attention to for a long time

Methods

Results

Conclusion