ATTEMPTS TO INDUCE PARTHENOGLNESIS IN PLANTS by JOSEPH NAMAZI A THESIS Submitted to the Graduate School of Michigan State College of Agriculture & Applied Science in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Farm Crops 1951 Ii. twain.) I. II. III. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Review of literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Types of parthenogenesis . . . . . . . . . 1. Reduced parthenogenesis . . . . . . . 2. Unreduced parthenogenesis . . . . . . B. Some examples of parthenogenesis . . . . . 1. Reduced parthenogenesis . . . . . . . 2. Unreduced parthenogenesis . . . . . . C. Stages in seed setting . . . . . . . . . . l. The preparation of the medium in which the seed has to develop . . . . . . . 2. The stages of embryo production . . . 3. Fusion of egg polar nuclei with sperm nuclei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Experimental procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . Experiment I. Hale-sterile sugar beets, IlaI'Ch, 1950 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Experiment II. Male-sterile sugar beets, fall, 1950 o o o I o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Experiment III. Hale-sterile sugar beets, January, 1951. O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Experiment IV. Navy beans, January, 1951. Experiment V. Trag X Bush beans, spring, 1951 O O O O O O O O O l I O O O O O O O 0 Experiment VI. Determination of presence of bean pollen in air of the greenhouse . Experiment VII. Peas, January, 1951 . . . ‘P" ( r‘f ‘1?! ... ¢3\_:’s}‘- '3‘ ’2) '['1 $1) 0\ \n N N N N N N H 0‘: O\ 13 13 15 18 25 25 IV. V. Experiment VIII. Summary and Conclusion Cited Literature . . Oats, January, 1951 . Table 1. Number of seeds obtained on each sugar beet plant, Experiment I . . . . . . . . . . . . Number of sugar beet seed obtained by differ- ent treatments, Experiment III . . . . . . . The effect of different treatments upon navy beans, Experiment IV . . . . . . . . . . . . The effect of different treatments on bean flowers, Experiment V . . . . . . . . . . . The frequencies of red and white hypocotyl color and of vine and bush types of plants from flowers of a progeny of Trag and Bush treated with pea pollen or with vitamin Bl, Experiment V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The frequencies of red and white hypocotyl color and of vine and bush types of plants from flowers of a progeny of Trag and Bush allowed to be selfed as control in Experiment V O O O O O O C O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 16 19 21 23 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Dr. E. E. Down, under whose supervision and encouragement the investigation on beans was undertaken. He is indebted to Mr. H. L. Kohls, under whose guidance and assistance the investigation on sugar beets was studied. Gratitude is extended to mr. H..M. Brown for his willing cooperation in the preparation of the manuscript. Attempts to Induce Parthenogenesis in Plants I. INTRODUCTION It has long been known that some plants produce seed by parthenogenesis, the development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg. The artificial induction of parthenogenesis by stimulating the stigma of emasculated flowers by pollinating with foreign pollen or by dusting with vitamin compounds, chalk or dust is a comparatively recent development. The study reported here is concerned with attempted parthenogenesis with male sterile sugar-beets, common navy beans, peas and oats. In the case of plants a desirable character may be introduced by crossing and back crossing to a plant carry- ing this character. If parthenogenesis is then induced in the backcross, we may obtain homozygosity for all characters without repeated selfing and selection. If haploid plants are obtained by parthenogenesis, we could get a diploid homozygous plant by doubling with colchicine. Thus, seed production by parthenogenesis may be helpful in producing homozygous plants, which may be used as parent stock for producing hybrid vigor in cross pollinated plants. II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Types of parthenogenesis According to Sharp (23) we have two types of parthenogenesis: 1. Reduced Parthenogenesis: In this case the gamete has the reduced number of chromosomes. This was called haploid parthenogenesis by Hartman (13) and Renner (22), and true parthenogenesis by Strasburger (24). 2. Unreduced Parthenogenesis: In this case the gamete has the unreduced (zygotic) number of chromosomes. It was called diploid parthenogenesis by Hartman (13) and Renner (22) and somatic parthenogenesis by Winkler (26). B. Some examples of parthenogenesis 1. Reduced parthenogenesis has been demonstrated in datura, tomato, wheat, tobacco, maize, pepper and many other plants. The first reduced parthenogenesis in plants was recorded by Blakeslee (1922) (2) in datura and devel- oped as a sport. Blakeslee and Belling (3) later on ob- tained a haploid datura plant by crossing Datura firon to Datura stramonium. Clausen and Mann (8) described two haploids obtained by crossing Nicotiana tobaccum X Nicotiana sylvestris. In the genus Triticum, a haploid plant was found by Gains and Aase (12). In Triticum compactum, a haploid developed from a seed formed by pollination with pollen grains from Aegilops cylindrica. Kihara and Katayama (16) reported the occurrence of a number of haploid plants in Triticum monococcum. They induced haploids by x-raying the young spikes or by merely bagging the spikes after heading. They also observed the production of haploids under ordinary cultivation. Katayama (15) x-rayed the young spikes of Triticum monococcum, estimated to be in a period of meiosis. Among the treated spikes, haploids were found at the rate of 5.26 to 7.h1 percent. He also found haploid plants at the rate of 17.58 percent from the kernels of Triticum monococcum that were formed by pollina- tion with x-rayed pollen grains. Chizaki (6) found a haploid plant in Triticum monococcum from about 20 seeds that he obtained from retard- ed spikes that bloomed on a hot day in August. Nakajima (18) pollinated Triticum turgidum (2 n is 28) with rye pollen and obtained 182 kernels. Only two of these germinated and but one of these two was haploid. Nordenskiold (19) obtained a haploid in rye by heat treatment of the pollinated flowers. (A A5 minute heat treatment was given 21 hours after pollination.) In sorghum haploidy occurs naturally more often than in most of the Gramineae family and it has been observed by Brown (A) in the field. The haploid plants can be recognized since, in comparison with diploids, they are shorter, less vigorous with more slender stalks, narrower leaves, smaller and more highly sterile panicles and smaller glumes. In rye, Muntzing (17) observed that haploid forma- tion may be increased by crossing with distantly related species or by treatment with low temperature at the time of fertilization. The same effect may also be obtained by high temperature or x-ray treatment. Haploids may be naturally obtained in twin seedlings. Cooper (9) found haploids in twin seedlings of Lilium and Nicotiana and he believed that one twin arose from the zygote and was triploid, the other twin from a synergid nucleus and was haploid. Haploids in twin seedlings in pepper have been reported by Christensen and Banford (7). In recent work, Chase (5) has crossed maize with purple plumule color (pollen parent) with colorless plumule plant (female). The progeny obtained by crossing purple plumule with white plumule (The purple color, Pu, is dominant) should all be purple, but a few white plumules have also been found. Those with colorless plumule are tested for haploidy by morphological characters and by counting the chromosomes of the root tip. One out of 900 was found to be haploid among the white and pink plumule seed. The incidence of haploidy was affected by both parents and, depending upon parents, varied from Ozh5OO to a high of 1:1h5. In this case the purple plumule pollen acts as an excitant only. 2. Unreduced parthenogenesis occurs frequently in vascular plants as a standard reproductive phenomenon and the resulting plant is not necessarily homozygous, since it is like the mother plant genetically. Chara crinita, Marsilea, Thalictrum, Alchemilla, Wikstroemia, Hieracium, Antennaria and Taraxacum (10) are examples. The last six are seed plants, the final three being compositae. In case of Poa pratensis and Poa palustris (l), reproduction by parthenogenesis occurs naturally. Arti- ficial parthenogenesis has been induced in plants such as in Spirogyra and Chlamydomonas (10) by growing them in six percent solution of cane sugar. In Marsilea (10) high temperature seems to be a stimulating factor. Some experi- ments on artificial parthenogenesis indicate that the pollen or sperm functions as a growth excitant, rather than a unit to carry hereditary characters. In l9h7, Tschermak (25) reported the formation of seed with parthenogenesis by dusting the carefully emasculated flower with different compounds in the form of dust, dead pollen, maizena powder, crushed Betaxin, Cebione tablets, oat meal, wheat flour, chalk, etc. He repeated the dustings until the stigma was visually dried. He states that the seeds that he obtained by stimulating with different com- pounds are not haploid but rather diploid. The explanation for diploid parthenogenesis given by Tschermak is quoted here: "In the case of mere stimulation of development of the egg-cell, which was reduced to half of its nuclear sliding composition, the haploidy of the embryo was to be expected principally, the latter (haploidy) could be regu- lated to the normal double possession of chromosome by a single skipping of cell division after nuclear division." According to fiendel's fundamental law in a single factor hybrid, the F1 generation has two kinds of gametes A and a in equal number and when selfed produces a ratio of 1AA:2Aa:1aa and, if A is dominant, a ratio of 3:1 is obtain- ed. If the F1 is stimulated to produce seed parthenogenet- ically, we expect the A and a types to develop in equal numbers giving a ratio of 1:1 homozygous for all characters. C. Stages in seed setting Overbeck, Conklin and Blakeslee (20) explain the process of seed setting and fruit ripening which normally takes place after pollination in three separate steps. 1. The preparation of the medium in which the seed has to develop:- This consists in the prevention of abscission of the fruit and the stimulation of the develop- ment of the ovary, the placenta, the ovules with their integuments and, in some cases the nucellus after pollina- tion but before actual fertilization. This can be shown in Meilandrium where, after pollination, the ovary and ovules enlarge considerably before the pollen tube has reached the embryo sac. Pavolachko (21) reported that, if the styles of Nicotiana are removed three hours after pollination, the pollen caused the development of ovaries and delays drop- ping. 2. The stage of embryo production:- This stage takes place after the first step is initiated. It consists of the division of the polar nucleus and the egg cell and these initial division are not necessarily connected with fertilization (in the sense of fusion of nuclei). Ferguson (11) observed that after pollination of Petunia the polar nucleus may divide many times before the sperm nuclei have left the pollen tube. The mere presence of the pollen tube in the embryo sac seems to be sufficient to cause the initial division of the endosperm. Jorgensen (1h) observed that in the cross of Solanum nigrum by Solanum luteum the sperm nucleus never fuses with egg nucleus but the sperm nucleus degenerates. Its presence, however, is sufficient to start division in the egg cell which ultimately develops into a completely maternal plant. (80 percent of such plants are diploid while the other 20 percent are haploid.) The observation of twin embryos indicates that a haploid embryo can start development under the influence of its fertilized partner within the same ovule. In no case has an egg cell been shown to develop under the influence of the fertilization of an adjacent ovule. This indicates that, if a diffusable substance stimulates the development of the egg, its area of activity may be limited. This might be due to either a large sized molecule which per- meates membranes with difficulty or to a more readily diffusible substance with a high rate of destruction. 3. Fusion of egg polar nuclei with sperm nuclei:- A definite step in typical seed development is the fusion of the sperm nuclei with egg and polar nuclei which makes hybridization possible. It has been shown that the nuclear fusion is neither necessary for growth and enlargement of ovary and ovules nor for development of the egg into an embryo. Polyembryony, common in many plants, presents the best example of embryos formed from somatic maternal tissue. This occurs however in the presence of an embryo resulting from fertilization. Sporophyte polyembryony among citrus shows true embryos which are developed from the nucellus. A seed of orange regularly contains several viable embryos only one of which may be the result of fertilization. The nonsexual seeds will produce seedlings, each with a genetic constitution like that of the female parents. III. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Experiment I. Male—sterile sugar beets, March 1950. On March 19, six male-sterile sugar beets (plants with sterile pollen) were isolated in the greenhouse for the experiment. Under this circumstance, no crossing or selfing would be expected. On a portion of a branch, the stigmas were treated with different chemicals_and labels were tied at both ends of the treated sections. One of the beets was untreated. The powders and chemicals were applied with a camel's-hair bruSh to the stigmas. The time of application was not regular but an attempt was made to treat the flowers at different stages from bud to mature flowers. The treatments were:- 1 - Chalk, 2 - Wheat flour, 3 - Maize extract, A - Flocer, 5 - Soapstone, 6 - Maize pollen, 7 - Sodium nucleate solution, 1 percent, 8 - Sodium nucleate solution, 2 percent, 9 - Sodium nucleate powder, 10 - Clip- ping of the tip branches, ll - Control (nothing applied). On may 15, the greenhouse temperature rose excessively and the windows were Opened. This may have led to pollination of some of the flowers by pollen from plants in a nearby greenhouse. In order to better analyse the result of this experiment the seed balls produced were divided into three classes. (1) From early flowers that produced seed balls before the windows were opened. (2) From mid-early flowers that produced seed balls -10- that might have arisen from cross fertilization by pollen from the nearby greenhouse. (3) From late flowers that initiated seed balls after the day when the windows were open. Three of the male-sterile plants had white flower buds, the other three had red flower buds. Since some plants had white hypocotyl and much of the foreign pollen carried red, the seeds were tested for hypocotyl color. White-bud plants should have given all white hypocotyl progeny, if the seeds were produced by parthenogenesis. But pollination by a mixture of red and white pollen should have caused segregation into red and white. The test of hypocotyl color of progenies indicated that pollen from out- side was the cause of most of the seed formation, as white- bud beets gave progenies of red as well as of white hypocotyls. A count of the nearby beets indicated they were a mixed population in the ratio of 33 white to 77 red beets. Even when divided into classes on an earliness basis there is a strong evidence of crossing with nearby beets. Apparently there was considerable contamination by outside pollination both before and after the windows were opened, and much more positive protection from pollen sources must be pro- vided with sugar beets than is found in a greenhouse con- taining other beets. About 15 white hypocotyl plants were selected and root tip counts of chromosomes were made. All were diploid, 2 n is 18. The plants appeared normal in growth habit. IMHI .le IHmI m m w = = nozoam mama a H m e oooz tozoaa sateo ow: N u N = housed mum nodes: ssfivom mosoam hanwo UHE n N m mums: osoz nozoam mawmm > ImHI mm [but NH ma 0N = : mozoam mama m m e = e tosoae satmo sea a o a opaez oeoz toeoam sates >H lb: um: IMH m m m = ocoz nosoam opmq a N N : hmusoa mum noaosc ssfloom LoSoam hanmo 6H2 N a m sea oeoz eozoao mates HHH . In] .m. &T n wH = = thOHM 09mg m a a = e pogoae saeeo one . m 0 NH com ocoz tozoao sates HH In: In: .LH: I H H = = noZOHm mama m H m sea oeoz tosoao eaten H opfizz nom mvoom mo vsm mo namepmone noSOHm mo omwpm .oz nonssz poaoo poem Hmuooomwm mo hoaoo .H pcosahomxm .psmad poop nmwsm some so Uocflmpoo momma mo honadz .H oHQMB -12.. IN: IS: OH 0 OJ = = .HmBOHu” mum...” ma mm as oases oeoz tozoam sates Hotpeoo H> opflnz pom mnoom mo usm mo psoEpwope nozoam mo ommpm .oz honesz poaoo poem dwpooomm: mo noaoo .H pcmaflhmmxm Aooscflpcouv .pcmam poop hmwSm some so UoCHMpno wpoom mo nonasz .H manna - 13 - From this experiment, the results of which are given in Table 1, no proper conclusion can be drawn on the occurrence of parthenogenesis. Experiment II. Male-sterile sugar beets, fall, 1950. A few male-sterile annual beets were planted in the greenhouse in the summer of 1950, where no other beet was present. During the fall, three plants bolted, but these plants were weak and because of high temperature most of their growth was vegetative. One of the plants was treated with vitamin B1, another with vitamin C., and one was kept as control. The vitamin B1 and C. were applied by pepper shaker on the alternate days until the stigma was dried. This required 6 applica- tions, at the same time 11 branches, some on each of the three plants, were bagged and no other treatment applied. No seed was formed on any of the plants, but it was observ- ed that by application of these vitamins, in form of powder, the ovaries were stimulated and were bigger in size, than untreated ovaries. Experiment III. Male-sterile sugar beets, January, 1951. In the winter, 1950, two male-sterile sugar beet plants were isolated in the Horticulture greenhouse where there was no possibility of stray beet pollen. The flowers were treated with different chemicals from bud stage to -14- Ado I meSU .oa I .3on among . 3 I msoamom oHHnopm onp msfi>oson kn wnapmassfipm .JH I monocmnn esp so mo>moa on» Ham mcfl>08op hp mnozoam esp mnapwadswpm .ma m N mo. eaoo oaoeeoo oeoaaahp m-m-~ .ma OH AsoUEOQV mpoapMu ucmHQmsmmp commsone .HH OH Anovzomv ma .oz ocopoom .OH 0 N mo. ofiom oflpoom hxososd0hoano whom .0 o N mo. owes anonanmnIHI: .m aa Hm caeooa> memo osp hopes .N mo. eaoo oapooo oeaamepeeoz .e ca N mo. naom oflpoom osflamnpsamz what 039 nopmm .Hm oflsmuw> .0 0H N we. uwom capoom mxocoSQOLOHSoIth mIdIN .m ma N mo. UHom vasowdonm Ahsoponphov mamad .J oaa N mo. eaoo oaoooo oeaaeepeeoz .m oma am anemone .m 0mm nonzod pom mamm< .H vocwmpno voom mo .02 mpozoam op ooflamam mucospmome nonssz .HHH ucoawhomxm .mpcospMonp psonmmmao >2 Umsflmpno mvoom noon hmMSm mo nonszz .N magma - 15 - mature flower and at different times of day. The treat- ments are listed in Table 2. The 611 seeds, obtained with the different treatments shown in Table 2, when planted, did not germinate. Each seed ball appeared normal but when cut open neither embryo nor endosperm was present. The hormones caused the forma- tion of parthenocarpic fruits. The apple set powder had a very high spreading power because of its fineness. Due to this cOndition, many of the seeds that were obtained without treatment are believed to have been stimulated by the apple set powder. Experiment IV. Navy beans, January, 1951. During January, 1951, an attempt was made to produce seeds in navy beans by parthenogenesis. About 12 navy bean plants were selected for this experiment. The bean flowers were emasculated by suction before other treatments were applied. An eye dropper was fixed to the suction end of a standard vacuum cleaner. This method of emasculation was slower than by tweezer, but it had the advantage of not crushing the stamens and of avoiding accidental pollination. After this careful emasculation, the flowers were treated with the substances listed in Table 3. - 16 - I I om eoaaoe oases .sa I >pQEo H aa V mo. vwom oddOHQOAQ AhcoaopIoSQAOV M£QH< .ma I hpdso N :a . N we. vflom ofipoow ocaamnunmmz .NH I apeeo 4 NH N mo. eaom oaoaeoe oeoaIHtp mIsIm .HH I o NN hoooam .0H m a ma “nonopsomv muoHnme pcmammcmpe m.:ommaone .0 4 N ma poop mom comQSOQB .m m N I: .3on pm ma... . N. n m 0H ocopmmmom .0 w .1 AN xamnu . m NH a ma pmSU Hwom £053 .4 ma m ma ma nonsdz ocouoom .m ma m Hm .o swampa> .N an Ad on Hm caempa> .H pom muoom vosfiwpno mood topmohp mpmzoam mpsospMope nopsdz mo nonesz mo tonssz Mo nonssz .>H pcoswhomxm .mcmon >>ws cod: mpzmspmonp psohommav mo poommo one .m manna - 17 _ ONH N: Hmm Hopoe NN h o: Anofladdw mcwspocv Honpsoo .mH mm m m 3m H33 I I OH V N soapsaom opmoaosc Esavom .ba I I 4N honzom madmaos: sdflvom .oa I I dN N mo. Uflom oaqmamundm: Hun .mH new woman nocflmupo moon vopmmnp whosoam mpomapmope nonssz mo nonssz mo nonssz mo nonasz .>H ucosflnodxm Aposcflpcoov .msmmn >>mn Com: mucospmohp pqohoMMNU mo poommo was .m manme -18- The results of Experiment IV shown in Table 3 indicate that out of 341 emasculated flowers treated with different substance, 35 pOds were obtained with 98 seeds. However, the 40 control flowers also produced 7 pods with 22 seeds. The seeds obtained without pollination were planted and chromosome counts in root tips were made in few of the beans. All were diploids. The field test also showed that they were normal beans.. In this case the navy bean parents did not have a specific character so that their segregation ratio could be studied and find whether or not they would give a ratio of 1:1 according to Tschermak theory. Experiment V. Trag X Bush beans, spring, 1951. According to Mendel's law the first generation (Fl) of a hybrid, produces two kinds of gametes and two egg cell and two types of pollen cells (A and a) in equal number. In further sexual reproduction their union produces a combi- nation of AA, Aa, aA, aa, in equal number and if one is dominant a ratio of 3:1 is obtained. But if instead of sexual reproduction, the gamete produced from F1 partheno- genesis takes place A and a grow in equal numbers and F2 would be a ratio of 1:1. To find whether the seed produced in navy beans by stimulation, as in Experiment IV was pro- duced by parthenogenesis. A cross between Trag and Bush was made and Eight Fl seeds from such a cross were planted - 19 - in the greenhouse in spring of 1951. The flowers on these eight plants were treated with the different chemicals shown in Table A. These parents differed in the following visible, single factor characters: Trag Characters Bush Characters Color of seed Black White Color of stem Red , Green Type of growth Vine Bush The deviations from the Mendilian ratio could be tested in the F2. Table A. The effect of different treatments on bean flowers. Experiment V. Number of flowers Empty pods Full pods No. Treatments treated obtained obtained Seeds 1 Vitamin Bl 193 1 19 6O 2 Pea pollen l6 - 2 12 3 Apple set 19 l - - A Nothing control 22 - - - 250 2 21 72 The 21 pods obtained by pea pollen and vitamin B1 were planted in 1A pots. The two pods treated with pea pollen had six seeds each and were planted in pots l and 2. Of those pods from vitamin Bl the pods that had from 6 to 3 - 20 - Seeds were planted in separate pots (3 to 12); the three pods with two seeds were planted in one pot (l3); and the six pods with one seed each were planted in one pot (1A). The F1 seeds from the cross between Trag and Bush, according to expectation, produced only red hypocotyl and vine, as red and vine characters are dominant over white and bush. The 72 seeds obtained by stimulation with pea pollen and vitamin Bl were planted to determine the characters in the progenies. The results, as to hypocotyl color, from the treatment of these bean flowers with pea pollen, Table 5, suggest that the seeds were produced by parthenogenesis, as Tschermak said, but the result as to vine type from these same flowers do not agree with this. The vitamin Bl treat- ment, Table 5, gave a 1:1 ratio for vine type, as suggested by Tschermak, but the result as to hypocotyl color from the same flowers do not agree with this. The beans that were not treated and allowed to grow and be selfed normally, Table 6, gave a ratio of 3 red: 1 white for hypocotyl color, a ratio of 3 vine: 1 bush for vine type and a ratio of 9 red vine: 3 red bush: 3 white vine: 1 white bush when the two characters were considered together. N m m I m a N N n o m m H I H m m N o m m N I I I m m N o 4 m N H H I a N N m m Hm eHsepH> ssz seasons 0 o a m N H N 4 NH mssm . N a m I m m N H o N mu m a m m H m I m o H . coHHom won :HHE Umpwmne nmsm ocH> 83m :msm ocH> 85m nmsm osH> coucMHm Honssz voom pom Hmuooomhs opHsa Hmpooomzn com .> psoaHnomxm .Hm eHeooH> soHs no smHHom mod msz Umpdmpp sham ocm wmpa mo hammosm m mo mHoBOHM 809m mpcmHm mo momma swan was ocH> mo new LOHoo thooommn opHsz now was no moHoqozwopm one .m oHnme - 22 :H m: 9N mN a 0H :N mH oo mesa m m H H I m N m 0 HH m m N I N a m H 0 MH m H I I I m N H m NH H N H I H N H H m HH H N H I H N H H m OH N N H I H m N H a a N m N H H m H N o m m H H H I m N H m n nmsm osH> ssm swam osH> sum :msm odH> umpsmHm nonssz Hmpooodhn opHQB Hmpoooahn com doom pom looseHoeoov .m oHooe -23.. N a N H H J H m 0 mH N a N I N 1H N N 0 NH H m N H H d I a 0 HH N a I I I o N .H 0 OH H a N I N a H m o a H 4 m H N N I N m m H H I I I m H .H m N H m I I I 0 H n 0 0 H m H H I m I m o m N m . H H I a H m m s N H H I H m N m 0 m d N N N I 4 N N 0 N N .H H H I m H H 0 H zoom oeHs eon seam oeH> eon swam oaH> oooeon tooesz thooomhs opan H>p000dhn pom doom pom .> pcoEHnomxm :H Hospsoo mm UoMHoo on on ooonHo swam 0cm None mo hcomond m mo mHoBon Sony mpqua mo odzp noun 02o osH> mo 02m HOHoo thQQOQHS opan pom ooh Ho moHodoswohm one .0 oHQwB - 2A - NN m0 H0 NN HH 0H NH as No meow H m m I m m H N 0 0H N a a H m N H H 0 mH m N m N H N H H m HH zoom osH> 95m smsm ocH> sum swam ocH> oopson ponsdz doom pom thooOQHS opHmz HmpooOQHn mom Huoschsoov .0 oHnoB - 25 - Experiment VI. Determination of presence of bean pollen in the air of the greenhouse, spring, 1951. To find whether bean pollen was flying in the green- house eight slides were smeared with vaseline and were suspended among the bean plants for a month during the flowering stages of the plants. These slides were exam- ined under the microscope. Six of these slides did not have any pollen, one slide had one pollen grain the size of the bean pollen, and yet another had two pollen grains of similar size to bean pollen. This shows that very little bean pollen was flying in the greenhouse. The chance of pollination was considered very slight especially in view of the fact that the stigma of bean flower when compared to slide has very little surface. With this in mind pollen flying in greenhouse is likely not to have been the cause of seed formation. Experiment VII. Peas, January, 1951. After careful emasculation with tweezers, a few pea flowers were treated with vitamin B1, vitamin C, apple set powder and nothing. The untreated flowers were stimulated only with emasculation alone and formed six pods, but all the six pods were empty, the ovary wall was only stimulated. The following results were obtained. -26- The effect of different treatments in pgas. Number of Empty Full Seeds No. Treatments flowers treated pods pods obtained 1 Vitamin Bl 2A 1 2 5 2 Apple set powder 5 1 - - Vitamin C 3 - - - A Nothing (control) 20 6 _ - Sums 52 8 2 5 Experiment VIII. Oats, January, 1951. After emasculation with tweezer three heads of oats were treated with vitamin B1’ few seeds were only stimulated, that is the ovary was grown to about half the size of normal seeds but no seed formation took place. - 27-- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION This paper reports an attempt to induce by method of parthenogenesis the development of pure breeding homozygous lines of male-sterile sugar beets, navy beans, peas and oats, by stimulating the stigmas of the flowers with different compounds following the suggestions made by Tschermak. The different substances, in form of dust, stimulated the growth of seeds in beans and peas, and a few seeds were harvested without any known fertilization by their own species. In sugar beets and oats, no seed was obtained. Those powders that were hygroscopic in nature, like maize pollen, were less successful on beans than non-hygroscopic powder. The treatments with different hormones usually stimulated the growth of ovary wall and not embryo. This result agreed with the experiment conducted by Overbeck, Conklin and Blakeslee (20) who treated the Datura flowers with different concentration of hormones and also injecting the hormones into young Datura ovaries. Wherever the seed was obtained by stimulation, Experi- ment IV, and germinated, the morphological characters of plants were studied, all the plants tested were normal in appearance. The root tip counts of a few of the plants showed only 2 n tissue (diploid). In Experiment V, involving the progeny of a cross be- tween Trag and Bush beans, it was possible to study the -28- progeny of bean seed obtained by stimulation. With pea pollen, the progeny showed a 1:1 ratio for hypocotyl color but a 3:1 for bush : vine. with vitamin B1, just the opposite was observed. There is a possibility that in parthenogenesis unknown conditions may favor the excess development of some gametes causing an apparent 3:1 ratio, where a 1:1 ratio would be expected. One more generation must be grown to see whether the populations continued to segre- gate. If so, it can be concluded that these seeds produced by stimulation are in the heterozygous condition and this method is of no value as a short cut to produce homozygous lines from a Fl hybrid. If further segregation does not occur, then a shortening of the breeding program will have been attained and unreduced parthenogenesis will have occurred. (l) (2) (3) (A) (5) (6) (7) (9) (10) (ll) (12) (13) - 29 - V. CITED LITERATURE Akesberg, E., Seed production of the poa species. Herb. Rev. 6: 228-223, 1938. Blakeslee, A. E., J. Belling, M. E. Farnham, and A. D. Berger, A haploid mutant in the Jimson weed, Datura stramonium. Science 55: 6A6, 1922. Blakeslee, A. F., J. Belling, Chromosomal mutations in the Jimson weed, Datura stramonium. Jour. of Her. 15: 195, 192A. Brown, M. S., Haploid plants in sorghum. Jour. of Her. 3A: 163, 19A3. Chase, S. S., Monoploid frequencies in a commercial double-cross hybrid maize and its component single cross hybrid and inbred lines. Genetics 3A: 328, 19h9. Chizaki, Y., Original not seen, cited by Nordenskiold (16). Christensen, H. C. and R. Banford, Haploid in twin seedlings of pepper. Jour. of Her. 3A: 99, 19A3. Clausen, R. E. and M. C. Mann, Inheritance in Nicotiana tobaccum V. The occurrence of haploid plants in interspecific progenies. Proc. Nat. Acad. Science 10: 121, 192A. Cooper, D. 0., Haploid, Diploid twin embryos in Lilium and Nicotiana. Amer. Jour. of Bot. 30: A08, 1943. Coulter, J. E., C. R. Barnes, H. C. Cowles, A text book of Botany, volume 3, Ecology, pp. 398. New York: American Book Company, 1931. Ferguson, M. 0., A cytological and genetical study of petunia. Torrey Botanical Club. 5A: 657-66A, 1927. - Gains, E. F. and H. C. Aase, A haploid wheat plant. Amer. Jour. of Bot. 13: 373, 1926. Hartmann, Original not seen, cited by Sharp (23) (1A) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (ZA) (25) (26') - 3o - Jorgensen, C. A., The experimental formation of heteroploid plants in the genus solanum. Jour. of Gen. 19: 136, 1928. Katayama, Y., Triticum monococcum. Haploid formation by x-ray in Cytologia 5: 235, 192A. Kihara, H. Y. Katayama, Original not seen, cited by Katayama (15). Huntzing, A., Note on a haploid rye plant. Hereditas 23: A0, 1937. Nakajima, G., Occurrence of a haploid in Triticum turgidum. Jap. Jour. of Genetics 11: 2A6, 1935. Nordenskiold, H.,‘ Studies of haploid rye plant. Hereditas 25: 20A, 1939. Overbeck, J. V., M. E. Conklin and A. F. Blakeslee, Chemical stimulation of ovule development and its possible relation to parthenogenesis., 28: 67A, l9Al. Pavolachko, P. A., Original not seen, cited by Overbeck (20).- ' Renner, Original not seen, cited by Sharp (23). Sharp, L. E., Introduction to Cytology, pp. A02. New York and London, NcGraw-Hill Book Company, 193A. Strasburger, Original not seen, cited by Sharp (23). Tschermak - Seysenegg, E. Vienna. Artificially effected seed formation without fertilization. Received November 20, 19A7. Winkler, Original not seen, cited by Sharp (23). v‘. I'I‘ICHIGAN STATE UNI‘I’ERSITV LIBRI'HF'T‘FS 9 4 4 III9'I“‘-IH. “H, 1:: ‘v 1 “‘I L) )“ I “A I). ))‘ '1) W ‘ H“) I “ll“ )T)|)1)I1I)I)‘) i|’ ) ’1 3 1293 0317 O