Self-incompatibility (SI) systems in flowering plants distinguish self-and non-self pollen to prevent inbreeding. While other SI systems rely on the self-recognition between specific male-and femaledeterminants, the Solanaceae family has a non-self recognition system resulting in the detoxification of female-determinants of S-ribonucleases (S-RNases), expressed in pistils, by multiple male-determinants of S-locus F-box proteins (SLFs), expressed in pollen. It is not known how many SLF components of this non-self recognition system there are in Solanaceae species, or how they evolved. We identified 16-20 SLFs in each S-haplotype in SI Petunia, from a total of 168 SLF sequences using large-scale nextgeneration sequencing and genomic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. We predicted the target S-RNases of SLFs by assuming that a particular S-allele must not have a conserved SLF that recognizes its own S-RNase, and validated these predictions by transformation experiments. A simple mathematical model confirmed that 16-20 SLF sequences would be adequate to recognize the vast majority of target S-RNases. We found evidence of gene conversion events, which we suggest are essential to the constitution of a non-self recognition system and also contribute to self-compatible mutations. Self-incompatibility (SI) systems in flowering plants distinguish self and non-self pollen to prevent inbreeding. While all other SI systems studied to date rely on the self-recognition between each single male-and female-determinants, the Solanaceae plants has a non-self recognition system that functions through the detoxification of non-self female-determinants of S-ribonucleases (S-RNases), expressed in pistils, by multiple male-determinants of S-locus F-box proteins (SLFs), expressed in pollen.However, little is known about how many SLF components constitute such a non-self recognition system and how they evolve. Here we conducted large-scale next-generation sequencing and genomic PCR and identified 16-20 SLFs in each S-haplotype in SI Petunia, for a total of 168 SLF sequences. We predicted the target S-RNases of SLFs by assuming that a particular S-allele must not have a conserved SLF that recognizes its own S-RNase, and validated them by transformation experiments. A simple mathematical model showed that 16-20 SLF sequences would be adequate to recognize the vast majority of target S-RNases. We found evidence of gene conversion events, which we suggest are essential to constitute a non-self recognition system and as well as contributed to self-compatible mutations.SI is a genetically controlled reproductive barrier in angiosperms that allows the pistil to reject self (genetically-related) pollen and accept non-self (genetically-unrelated) pollen [1][2][3][4] . In most cases, this self/non-self discrimination is controlled by male-and

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