Effects of consecutive androgeneses on morphology and fertility in Nicotiana sylvestris

Abstract

In Nicotiana sylvestris androgenetic haploid and doubled-haploid plants regenerated from isolated pollen grains show characteristic modifications in leaves and flowers as compared with the pollen source line. During successive cycles of androgenesis, their average dimensions decrease regularly up to the fifth cycle. Afterwards no significant decrease is observed, but other kinds of abnormalities appear, such as foliar outgrowths developing from leaf veins, in haploid and doubled-haploid plants, or from the somatic tissue of the ovules in haploids only. Doubled-haploid plants transmit their abnormalities through the first and second generations of selfing. Their fertility is greatly reduced because of physiological deficiencies when the plants are used as females, and low pollen fertility. Pollen from doubled haploids also has inferior androgenic capabilities.