Proceedings of the XLV Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy - 26/29 September, 2001

ISBN 88-900622-1-5

Poster Abstract

MALE-STERILITY IN ARTICHOKE (CYNARA SCOLYMUS L.)

STAMIGNA C.*^,**, PANDOZY G.*^,**, CRINO’ P.*, SACCARDO F.**

* ENEA C.R. Casaccia, Divisione Biotecnologie e Agricoltura, Roma

paola.crino@casaccia.enea.it

** Università della Tuscia, Dipartimento Produzione Vegetale, Viterbo

saccardo@unitus.it

artichoke, malesterility, hybridisations

The artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a Mediterranean crop of considerable economic importance for Italy and other countries. Its traditional cultivation by vegetative propagation is a costly procedure involving considerable labour input and also incurring heavy risks of damages from diseases and pests. The seed reproductive system, applied for the development of varieties or F₁ hybrids, can contribute to overcome some of these problems. In addition, yield and quality of seed-planted cultivars may result equal or higher than those of the traditional clonal ones. Utilization of malesterile material is advantageous in breeding programmes.

In the present work, we aimed at identifying and characterizing male-sterile genotypes to be used as parentals of F₁ hybrids. Out of a total of 43 plants, kindly provided from INRA-Montfavet (France), 4 have been selected for their reduced production of pollen, which was 100% unviable; three other genotypes showed 95% of pollen sterility. Although the number of the involved genes is unknown yet, the analysis performed on F₁ generation indicated that the malesterility character is of nuclear and recessive type. Cytological and histological characterization demonstrated that malesterility detected in our material is determined by post-meiotic blocks occurring after the late unicellular stade of microspore formation. The same genotypes have been already exploited in hybridisation programmes with Italian artichokes of “romanesco” type.