Shrunken Endosperm Mutants in Barley¹

Abstract

Six spontaneous shrunken endosperm mutants in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were identified and described. Five of the mutants (se1 through se5) were inherited as maternal plant monofactorial recessives and one mutant se6 was inherited as a monofactorial recessive expressing xenia. The mutants varied in fertility, seed weight, and seive size assortment. Four mutants were located on chromosome one, one on chromosome three, and one on chromosome six, by using translocation breakpoints as markers. Mutants similar to se1 through se5 could be used as males in commerical hybrid seed production. Mutants similar to se6 could be used as preflowering selective genes for the female stock for hybrid seed production.

The Development of Endosperm in Grasses

“…Rather than reviewing every mutation, we will discuss selected mutations that in our opinion provide crucial insight. There are a number of publications that contain a wealth of information about mutations affecting endosperm development in cereals (Jarvi and Eslick, 1975;Nelson, 1980;Neuffer and Sheridan, 1980;Satoh and Omura, 1981;Bosnes et al, 1987;Kowles et al, 1992;Scanlon et al, 1994;Kurata et al, 2005;Dolfini et al, 2007).…”

[14C]Sucrose Uptake and Labeling of Starch in Developing Grains of Normal and segl Barley

“…The segl character is inherited as a maternal plant monofactorial recessive gene not expressing xenia (5), and therefore segl plants produce shrunken seeds regardless of pollen source, and no segregation of kernels occurs within plants. This inheritance pattern is not typical of endosperm mutations in which sugar metabolism or starch synthesis enzymes are affected.…”

“…One approach to the problem has been to examine a series of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) shrunken endosperm mutants which are inherited as maternal plant monofactorial recessives and do not express xenia (5). We investigated segl, a mutant of the cultivar Betzes, which produces seed with 35 to 55% of normal dry weight (2).…”

Three's Company: Regulatory Cross-Talk during Seed Development

“…Until late last year, when Ray et al (1996) showed that normal embryonic pattern formation in Arabidopsis requires the maternal expression of the SHORT INTEGUMENT gene, the only direct genetic evidence that the sporophytic tissues of the ovule may be involved in controlling either embryo or endosperm development was an isolated report of maternal-effect mutations that cause a shrunken endosperm phenotype in barley (Jarvi and Eslick, 1975). Colombo et al have extended our understanding of the role of the sporophytic tissues of the ovule during seed development.…”