Parthenocarpic fruit development (PFD) reduces fruit yield and quality in grapevine. Parthenocarpic seedless berries arise from fruit set without effective fertilization due to defective pollen germination. PFD has been associated to micronutrient deficiency but the relation of this phenomenon with pollen polymorphism has not been reported before. In this work, six grapevine cultivars with diff...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Some floral traits could be selected by pollinators and nonpollinator agents, and studying the floral traits shaped by physical agents could reveal adaptive mechanisms to the environment. We explored the adaptive significance of the change in floral orientation, from pendulous flowers to erect fruits that have a persistent calyx, in Anisodus luridus, a perenni...

[This corrects the article on p. 825 in vol. 7, PMID: 27379121.].

`Kent' mango (Mangifera indica L.) ̄owers were sampled in an orchard in the coastal plain of Israel during the 1997 ̄owering season. Effective pollination rate was determined at two stages of the fertilization process: (a) pollen germination on the stigma; (b) pollen-tube penetration into the ovule. Pollination rates were negligible during the ®rst part of the ̄owering season (31 March to 18 Ap...

Rice production is challenged by the asymmetric increases in day and night temperatures. Efforts are required to improve our understanding of the impact of climate change on rice production. To this end, 2-year experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of mid-season rice growth in the central and southern regions of China to elevated temperatures. Four replicates of four widely planted ...

Crosses among single-, double- and multi-petal jasmine cultivars (Jasminum sambac Aiton) are unable to easily generate hybrids. To identify the reproductive barriers restricting hybrid set, dynamic changes in jasmine pollen viability and pistil receptivity were compared at different flowering stages. Pollen-pistil interactions in six reciprocal crosses were also investigated to characterize pol...

Transmission electron microscopy of pollen from Lilium longiflorum Thunb. reveals electron-dense inclusions in storage body organelles ubiquitous in the cytosol. In ungerminated pollen, these inclusions are rounded in appearance and appressed to the inner surface of the smooth membrane of the storage body. During pollen germination, these inclusions become less rounded, smaller, and enclosed in...

Seedlessness is a desirable characteristic in citrus fruits sold for fresh consumption. Gamma irradiation is widely used to obtain seedless citrus fruits. Here, different clones of the self-incompatible parthenocarpic “Moncada” mandarin, obtained by gamma irradiation, were studied to assess seedlessness, pollen germination, fruit characteristics and quality attributes. Findings indicate that ir...

After pollen grains germinate on the stigma, pollen tubes traverse the extracellular matrix of the style on their way to the ovules. We previously characterized two pollen-specific, receptor-like kinases, LePRK1 and LePRK2, from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Their structure and immunolocalization pattern and the specific dephosphorylation of LePRK2 suggested that these kinases might interac...

We tested three predictions regarding the joint evolution of pollen performance and mating system. First, due to the potential for intense intrasexual competition in outcrossing populations, we predicted that outcrossers would produce faster-growing pollen than their selfing relatives. Second, if elevated competition promotes stronger selection on traits that improve pollen performance, then, a...