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Self-sterility in the mutant ‘Zigui shatian’ pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) is due to abnormal post-zygotic embryo development and not self-incompatibility

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Abstract

‘Shatian’ pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck), one of the main citrus cultivars in China, is self-incompatible, and its pollen tubes are believed to be arrested in style after self-pollination.We have characterized one ‘Shatian’ pummelo mutant, named ‘Zigui shatian’ pummelo. The mutant pummelo had identical DNA ploidy level, morphology (leaf shape, stoma size and density, pollen shape and size) and developmental progress of pistil and male organs to that of the common ‘Shatian’ pummelo. However, unlike the common ‘Shatian’ pummelo, ‘Zigui shatian’ is self-compatible since its pollen tubes can self-pollinate allowing for successful fertilization. Histological analyses of ‘Shatian’ pummelo further verified abnormal post-zygotic development which led to seed abortion. Simple sequence repeats (SSR) analysis revealed polymorphism in 1 of the 120 primers screened showing that ‘Zigui shatian’ and ‘Shatian’ pummelo are different at the DNA level. Taken together, these data suggested mutant ‘Zigui shatian’ pummelo might be derived from ‘Shatian’ pummelo with self-sterility by self-incongruity after self-fertilization.

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Abbreviations

SI:

Self-incompatibility

OSI:

Ovarian self-incompatibility

LSI:

Late-acting self-incompatibility

SSI:

Sporophytic self-incompatibility

GSI:

Gametophytic self-incompatibility

SSR:

Simple sequence repeat

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 30830078, 30921002). We thank Prof. Wenwu Guo and Mr. Zhiyong Pan in our laboratory for valuable suggestions.

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Correspondence to Xiuxin Deng.

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Chai, L., Ge, X., Biswas, M.K. et al. Self-sterility in the mutant ‘Zigui shatian’ pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) is due to abnormal post-zygotic embryo development and not self-incompatibility. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 104, 1–11 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-010-9793-6

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