Less is better: new approaches for seedless fruit production

Varoquaux, Fabrice; Blanvillain, Robert; Delseny, Michel; Gallois, Patrick

doi:10.1016/s0167-7799(00)01448-7

Cited by 196 publications

(176 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Parthenocarpy may occur in cases where the ovary is able to develop without fertilization of the oosphere, whereas stenospermy is reported in cases where pollination and fertilization are required, but embryos are either not formed or are aborted before complete seed formation (Stout 1946, Varoquaux et al 2000. A recent study described the unique case of seedless fruit production in a mutant of Annona squamosa, 'Thai seedless'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen grain germination and fruit set in 'Brazilian seedless' sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.)

Mendes

Costa

Nietsche

et al. 2012

Crop Breed. Appl. Biotechnol.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen grain germination and fruit set in 'Brazilian seedless' sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.)

Mendes

Costa

Nietsche

et al. 2012

Crop Breed. Appl. Biotechnol.

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“…Besides this, high commercial loss has been reported in sweet pepper due to its susceptibility to blossom-end-rot (BER), a physiological disorder caused by local deficiency of calcium during the early phase of fruit development (Bangerth, 1979). Parthenocarpy is a physiological phenomenon where an ovary grows into a fruit without fertilization (Varoquaux et al, 2000). It has been proposed as a possible solution to reduce yield flushing and to minimize BER in sweet pepper (Heuvelink and Körner, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parthenocarpy is a highly appreciated trait by consumers and process companies, not only because of easy processing (e.g. cut slices of sweet pepper) in a growing market (Gonzalez et al, 2004) but also because of an improved shelf life, higher sugar and higher soluble solid content in fruit (Varoquaux et al, 2000). Male sterility can be used for the commercial cultivation of a parthenocarpic genotype (Shifriss and Eidelman, 1986), but first a sweet pepper genotype expressing parthenocarpic gene(s) along with marketable fruit appearance should become available.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) Genotypes for Parthenocarpic Fruit Growth

Tiwari¹,

Dassen

Heuvelink³

2007

Acta Hortic.

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Yield irregularity and blossom-end-rot are major problems in sweet pepper production, which can be reduced by parthenocarpy. However no commercial parthenocarpic cultivars are available. The purpose of this study was to find parthenocarpic genotype(s) of sweet pepper with the ability to produce good quality fruits without seeds. Eleven genotypes of sweet pepper were studied at normal (20/20°C D/N) and at low night temperature (20/10°C D/N), in two greenhouse compartments from January till May. Fruit length, diameter, fresh and dry weight and number of seeds per fruit were measured. A higher percentage of parthenocarpic fruits was observed for all genotypes at low night temperature compared to normal temperature. Within the genotypes which showed at least 60% parthencarpic fruit growth at low night temperature, two groups were distinguished, which showed a different expression of parthenocarpy in response to the environment. In one set of genotypes (Line 1 and Line 3) high expressivity for parthenocarpy was found irrespective of night temperature. In another set of genotypes (Gen A, Gen B, Gen C, Lamuyo A, Lamuyo B and Bruinsma Wonder), a high level of parthenocarpy was expressed at low night temperature only, which may be due to non-viable pollen at low night temperature. Further evaluation of the latter six genotypes resulted in one genotype (Bruinsma Wonder) for which the absence of seeds only marginally influenced shape and size of fruits. These selected genotypes may eventually lead to an exploitation of parthenocarpy in sweet pepper breeding.

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“…Besides this, parthenocarpy is advantageous when pollination or fertilization is affected due to extreme temperatures. Unfortunately, mutations causing parthenocarpic fruits as well as plant hormone-based approaches to obtain parthenocarpy often have pleiotropic effects and can result in undesirable characteristics, such as misshapen fruits (Varoquaux et al, 2000;Fos et al, 2001;Wang et al, 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

RNA Interference Silencing of Chalcone Synthase, the First Step in the Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway, Leads to Parthenocarpic Tomato Fruits

Schijlen

Vos²,

Martens³

et al. 2007

Plant Physiol.

263

159

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; and Keygene N.V., 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands (A.J.v.T.)Parthenocarpy, the formation of seedless fruits in the absence of functional fertilization, is a desirable trait for several important crop plants, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Seedless fruits can be of great value for consumers, the processing industry, and breeding companies. In this article, we propose a novel strategy to obtain parthenocarpic tomatoes by downregulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway using RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated suppression of chalcone synthase (CHS), the first gene in the flavonoid pathway. In CHS RNAi plants, total flavonoid levels, transcript levels of both Chs1 and Chs2, as well as CHS enzyme activity were reduced by up to a few percent of the corresponding wild-type values. Surprisingly, all strong Chs-silenced tomato lines developed parthenocarpic fruits. Although a relation between flavonoids and parthenocarpic fruit development has never been described, it is well known that flavonoids are essential for pollen development and pollen tube growth and, hence, play an essential role in plant reproduction. The observed parthenocarpic fruit development appeared to be pollination dependent, and Chs RNAi fruits displayed impaired pollen tube growth. Our results lead to novel insight in the mechanisms underlying parthenocarpic fruit development. The potential of this technology for applications in plant breeding and biotechnology will be discussed.

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Less is better: new approaches for seedless fruit production

Cited by 196 publications

References 31 publications

Pollen grain germination and fruit set in 'Brazilian seedless' sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.)

Pollen grain germination and fruit set in 'Brazilian seedless' sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.)

Selection of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) Genotypes for Parthenocarpic Fruit Growth

RNA Interference Silencing of Chalcone Synthase, the First Step in the Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway, Leads to Parthenocarpic Tomato Fruits

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