Characterizing a Cucumber Pollen Sterile Mutant: Inheritance, Allelism, and Response to Chemical and Environmental Factors

Abstract

<jats:p>A new sterile mutant designated pollen sterile (PS) found in pickling cucumber (<jats:italic>Cucumis sativus</jats:italic> L.) is characterized by normal corolla in staminate and pistillate flowers, normal fertility in the female, and absence of pollen in otherwise normal-appearing staminate flowers. All F<jats:sub>1</jats:sub> plants from PS × male fertile (MF) sib-matings were MF, and F<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> progeny segregated 3 MF: 1 PS. Sib-matings of PS segregates with sister MF segregates produced either 1 MF: 1 PS ratios or all normal plants. Thus, PS is controlled by a single recessive gene. The PS gene is not allelic to apetalous (<jats:italic>ap</jats:italic>), but was shown to be allelic to male sterile-2 (<jats:italic>ms-2</jats:italic>) and is designated <jats:italic>ms-2</jats:italic><jats:sup>PS</jats:sup>. It was not possible to determine possible allelic relationships between <jats:italic>ms-2</jats:italic><jats:sup>PS</jats:sup> and <jats:italic>ms-1</jats:italic> because of strong male and female sterility of the available <jats:italic>ms-1</jats:italic> material. F<jats:sub>1</jats:sub> generations from gynoecious-PS and monoecious-PS crossed with monoecious, gynoecious (silver-ion treated), and hermaphroditic parents produced no PS plants and sex types did not influence PS levels in F<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> progenies, indicating it is not possible to maintain the PS mutants through crosses with different cucumber sex types. It was not possible to change the expression of PS by applying cytokinin, IAA, or GA<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>, and there were no changes in response to temperature and fertilizer treatment. Unlike gynoecy, which is responsive to some external factors, PS is unresponsive. The results suggest that the use of PS in cucumber F<jats:sub>1</jats:sub> hybrid seed production is not practical. Chemical names used: indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin (GA<jats:sub>3</jats:sub>).</jats:p>

The HD-ZIP IV transcription factor GL2-LIKE regulates male flowering time and fertility in cucumber

“…S7C ). Several PHD finger proteins, including MALE STERILITY 1 (Ms-1), which controls male fertility in cucumber, were also down-regulated in CsGL2-LIKE RNAi lines ( Zhang et al , 1994 ; Supplementary Fig. S7D ).…”

Mapping and Analysis of a Novel Genic Male Sterility Gene in Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

“…More specifically, all fruits were round, moderately sized, and had red flesh. In earlier investigations on cucumber, the four main types of male sterility were associated with undesirable traits (e.g., missing corollas, malformed ovaries, and unopened female flowers) ( Grimbly, 1980 ; Zhang et al, 1994 ). Secondly, cytological examinations confirmed the presence of normal pollen sacs in fertile flowers, in contrast to the irregular pollen sacs in male-sterile flowers ( Figure 2A ).…”

Fine mapping of a male sterility gene ms-3 in a novel cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) mutant

“…For the flowers of cucumber which was monoecious and unisexual, male sterility systems can also be widely used in the breeding of cucumber. To date, four main types of male sterility have been reported in cucumber: (1) an apetalous sterile mutant ( ap ); (2) a pleiotropic pollen-aborted mutant ( ms - 1 ); (3) an aborted male flower genotype ( ms - 2 ); and (4) a closed-flower genotype (Qi Zhang et al 1994 ). However, these cases of male sterility have not been used in hybrid cucumber seed production; because their inheritance is determined by nuclear genes and they are associated with undesirable traits, such as missing corolla, malformed ovaries, and closed female flowers (Grimbly 1980 ; Hutchins 1936 ).…”