Controls over pollination and ovule fertilization in Vicia faba

Abstract

Variation in the frequencies of pollination and ovule fertilization was generated among faba bean (Vicia faba L .) genotypes in experiments which compared self-and open-pollination, natural and extended photoperiods, presence and absence of honey bees and a range of plant populations .There was a near-1 :1 relationship between the frequencies of pollination of stigmas and the fertilization of at least one ovule within the pistil . Pollination was the major barrier to fertilization of the pistil, and ovules, since no mechanism was evident in the style to prevent pistil fertilization . The frequency with which single ovules were fertilized in pollinated pistils fell as their distance from the stigma increased, and averaged 83 .5% overall . The frequency of pollination was most influenced by the level of autofertility possessed by the genotype, and the activity of pollinators . Provision of honey bees to plants in caged plots showed that high levels of pollination could be achieved under open-pollinated conditions, but this was also influenced by autofertility .Increasing plant population in the field had only a small effect on pollination, but extending photoperiod caused the levels and timing of self-pollination in three genotypes to vary .Large differences were found among genotypes in their early stigma receptivity, that is, the frequency of stigmas found to be pollinated at the erect standard stage, prior to the flower opening and being visited by bees . The implications of early stigma receptivity for producing new cultivars were discussed .

Beakers versus breakers: how fertilisation in the laboratory differs from fertilisation in nature

“…There is also an extensive literature on the fertilisation ecology on land plants and marine algae (e.g. Hoffman, 1988;Marcellos & Perryman, 1990;Boyd et al, 1990;Wiener & Feldman, 1991;Brawley, 1992;Stafford et al, 1993;Mire, 1994).…”

Breeding Strategy for Faba Bean in Southern Europe based on Cultivar Responses across Climatically Contrasting Environments

“…Floral adaptation to a specific pollination environment featured by the overwhelming presence of a solitary bee ( Eucera numida Lep.) may contribute to specific adaptation to southern Spain (Suso, 2004) but is unlikely to play a major role in Mediterranean regions, such as Italy (Foti, 1982) or Australia (Marcellos and Perryman, 1990), where bumblebees ( Bombus terrestris L.) or honeybees ( Apis mellifera L.) are the main pollinators.…”

Frequency of Outcrossing and Isolation Distance in Faba Beans (Vicia faba L.)

“…Conflicting reports are available on the role of honeybees in Australia. Neither pollination nor fertilization was a limiting factor on seed yield in faba beans in northern New South Wales [20] but a yield increase was reported by placing beehives in the vicinity of crops in South Australia [21]. In another study conducted in the Riverina (NSW, Australia), Sommerville [22] found a 25% increase in yield using honeybees and recommended two hives/ha to maximize the yield.…”