Histological studies were carried out to investigate a period of pollen germination, pollen tube elongation, fertilization, endosperm and embryo development and fiber formation in Gossypium hirsutum, G. arboreum and their reciprocal crosses.
Pollen g...
Histological studies were carried out to investigate a period of pollen germination, pollen tube elongation, fertilization, endosperm and embryo development and fiber formation in Gossypium hirsutum, G. arboreum and their reciprocal crosses.
Pollen germination started within 30 minutes after pollination in the selfings of G. hirsutum and G. arboreum, and G. arboreum×G. hirsutum and cross, but after 1 hour in G. hirsutum×G. arboreum cross. The fertilization of the egg took 24~30 hours in G. hirsutum selfings, 28~30 hours in G. arboreum selfings, 36~44 hours in G. hirsutum×G. arboreum cross and 28~36 hours in G. arboreum×G. hirsutum cross. Proembryos appeared 5 days after pollination in the selfings and embryos started to abort 10 days after pollination in the interspecific crossing.
In the testa fiber, fiber cell began to grow in 24~48 hours after pollination, length of a matured fiber was 22~32mm and 19~22mm in Gossypium hirsutum and G. arboreum, respectively. The development of testa fiber was stopped to grow 7~10 days after pollination in Gossypium hirsutum×G. arboreum, and the length of fiber was 10~13mm. The ovule and embryo culture to obtain the interspecific hybrid plants between Gossypium hirsutum and G. arboreum should start 2 to 6 days after pollination, when endosperm degeneration initiates.