Monoecious Lines Research Articles

Tests of a mechanistic model of one hormone regulating both sexes in Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae)

A mechanistic model of sex determination in flowering plants, which assumes that one hormone has male and female cell receptors to inhibit one sex and induce the other independently, was tested in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) by applications of hormones and their inhibitors. Applications of gibberellic acid (GA) and an inhibitor of its synthesis (paclobutrazol) showed that GA had dual effects on sex expression of promoting maleness and inhibiting femaleness. Conversely, applications of Ethrel (an ethylene release agent) and AgNO3 (an ethylene action inhibitor) indicated that ethylene induced femaleness and inhibited maleness. Results of various combined applications of the two hormones and their inhibitors suggested that ethylene had overriding effects on GA and acted more directly on sex expression in cucumber. These experiments indicated that there is only one hormone, not two, regulating sex expression in cucumber, and that the sex hormone is likely to be ethylene. Results thus supported the assumption of the model that one hormone can regulate both sexes by inducing one and inhibiting the other independently. Model predictions were confirmed that from a monoecious line, female plants could be induced by increasing the ethylene level, and male plants induced by decreasing the ethylene level. On the other hand, as the model predicts, applications of ethylene or its inhibitor induced gynomonoecious, female, and trimonoecious plants from a hermaphroditic line. In conclusion, all assumptions and predictions of the one‐hormone model were confirmed in the experiments.

Isolation of novel conjugated gibberellins from Cucumis sativus seed.

Neutral and n-butanol fractions of a methanol extract of mature seeds of a monoecious line of Cucumis sativus (cucumber) were found to contain novel gibberellins. A β-D-glucoside was isolated from the n-butanol fraction and partially characterized by thin-layer chromatography as a derivative of gibberellin A1. The n-propyl ester of GA3 was isolated from the neutral fraction and the n-propyl ester of GA1 was tentatively identified as a second component of that fraction.

Changed sex expression and possibilities for F1-hybrid seed production in some cucurbits by application of Ethrel and Alar (B-995)

Experiments were performed to study the effects of the ethylene releasing compound Ethrel on sex expression in cucumbers and squash, and of Alar (B-995) plus Ethrel in muskmelons. As a result of foliage sprays with one or both of the above compounds normally monoecious plants produced female flowers only, for the first 2–3 weeks of flowering. The optimum treatments for cucumbers were two foliage sprays with Ethrel 250 ppm or 500 ppm applied at the second and the fourth true leaf stages. The optimum treatments for squash were Ethrel 250 ppm and 500 ppm applied at the first and the third true leaf stages. High doses (1000 ppm) or repeated applications of Ethrel retarded growth of muskmelons and cucumbers. Applications of B-995 (5000 ppm) plus Ethrel (500 ppm) at the second true leaf stage inhibited male flowering for 2–3 weeks of the flowering period. F1-hybrid seeds of muskmelons were experimentally produced in large isolation cages in the field, using two monoecious lines as female parents. The merits and some of the problems associated with the production of F1-hybrid seeds by the above methods are discussed.

Contents and Recovery of Gibberellins in Monoecious and Gynoecious Cucumber Plants

Diffusates from seedlings and root exudates from 6-week-old plants of a monoecious line of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L., contained considerably higher levels of gibberellin-(GA-) like substances than did those from plants of an isogenic gynoecious line. Most of the GA-like activity was found in a chromatogram region typical of GA(1) and GA(3); some activity, particularly in root exudates, appeared also at an R(F) similar to that of GA(4) and GA(7).When seedlings were treated with (3)H-labeled GA(1), more radioactivity was found in the diffusates from monoecious seedlings than from gynoecious ones. The same was true of biological activity in root diffusates from older plants which had been treated with gibberellin A(4+7).In conjunction with evidence present in literature, these results support the idea that endogenous GAs play a part in the regulation of sex expression in cucumber, relatively high levels favoring the formation of staminate flowers.