Premium
VARIABILITY IN SEEDLING PROGENIES AND THE EFFECT OF LIGHT REGIMES DURING SEED PRODUCTION ON INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS OF POA
Author(s) -
WILLIAMSON CYNTHIA J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1981.tb01714.x
Subject(s) - seedling , biology , hybrid , inflorescence , apomixis , botany , poa pratensis , horticulture , agronomy , poaceae , ploidy , biochemistry , gene
SUMMARY Variability in seedling characters of 11 families derived from Poa ampla × P. pratensis and P. longifolia × P. pratensis hybrids was examined using univariate and multivariate methods. The determinants from within‐family dispersion matrices based on seedling characters enabled separation of the phenotypically very variable families from the more uniform ones. Comparable results were obtained from visual assessment of intra‐family variability on mature, spaced plants which suggested that it was possible at the seedling state to distinguish between families derived from predominantly amphimictic and predominantly apomictic seed respectively. Ramets from 11 plants lifted from the field were kept in three light regimes and in natural daylight during inflorescence and seed development. Inflorescences, seed and resulting seedling progenies all responded to an increase in length of photoperiod and total daily irradiance. Variability in seedling characters was also affected which indicated that the light regime during embryo sac and seed development may influence the proportion of apomictic seed which matures. There was no consistent trend in this response among the hybrids examined.