Summary
Retention of pollen grains following natural self-pollination was evaluated in 15 cultivars (cvs.) of almond, 4 peach and 2 nectarine cvs., and 37 interspecific peach × almond hybrids compared to 7 almond seedlings. The level of pollen retention was presumed to reflect and integrate the degree of homogamy, the amount of pollen produced by the flower, the extent of anther-stigma contact during anthesis, and the level of pollen germination. Pollen retention averaged 5 times greater in the peach and nectarine cvs. than in the almond cvs. The greater pollen retention, characteristic of the peach, was dominant in expression in the interspecific F1 hybrids over the lower levels of pollen retention, characteristic of the almond. Thus, gametophytic self-incompatibility is not the only trait supporting outcrossing in the almond. Our data are consistent with the concept of co-evolution of floral traits relating to different breeding strategies. The level of pollen retention could often be anticipated at anthesis on the basis of blossom phenotype. That is, stigma-anther contact was observed frequently in the blossoms of peach, nectarine, and the peach × almond F1 hybrids, but only infrequently in almond.
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Weinbaum, S.A., Polito, V.S. & Kester, D.E. Pollen retention following natural self pollination in peach, almond, and peach × almond hybrids. Euphytica 35, 193–200 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028557
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028557