Summary
In Primula obconica, a species with a heteromorphic self-incompatibility system, the distinction between compatible and incompatible pollen tubes takes place on the stigma surface in thrum flowers, self tubes growing randomly over the papillar cells. No differences were seen between self and cross tube behaviour on the pin stigma surface, but self tubes were inhibited within the stigmatic tissue with differences in tube length evident after 24 h. The stigma surface bears a proteinaceous pellicle and binds the lectin Concanavalin A. Removal of the stigma removes the incompatibility barrier in mature gynoecia. Bud pollination shows that pollen tubes cannot grow in a normal manner on immature stigmas; the random growth of tubes over the stigma surface resembles that of mature thrum selfs. Fewer compatible tubes reach the style base of young gynoecia and smaller numbers of seeds are set than in mature flowers. Pin and thrum pollen grains germinate and grow in aqueous media, thrum tubes growing longer than pin. The presence of H3BO4 and CaCl2 in the growth medium promotes tube elongation and lengths equivalent to compatible styles can be obtained. The pollen grains have proteinaceous materials in their walls which diffuse out on moistening. Prolonged washing in aqueous media removes these materials but the incompatibility reaction remains unchanged. Thus the incompatibility reaction is between pollen tubes and stigmatic tissue and differs from the homomorphic, sporophytic system where pollen wall proteins elicit the incompatibility response.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature
Baker, H.G. (1975): Sporophyte-gametophyte interactions in Linum and other genera with heteromorphic self-incompatibility. In: Gamete Competition in Plants and Animals, (ed. Mulcahy, D.L.), pp. 191–199. Amsterdam: North Holland Publ.
Balatková, V.; Hrabětová, E.; Tupý, J. (1977): The growth activity and fertilizing capacity of submersely cultivated pollen tubes of Nicotiana tabacum L. J. Exp. Bot. 28, 1231–1237
Brewbaker, J.L. (1967): The distribution and phylogenetic significance of binucleate and trinucleate pollen grains in the Angiosperms. Amer. J. Bot. 54, 1069–1083
Brewbaker, J.L.; Kwack, B.H. (1964): The calcium ion and substances influencing pollen growth. In: Pollen Physiology and Fertilization, (ed. Linskens, H.F.), pp. 143–151. Amsterdam: North Holland Publ.
Darwin, C. (1877): The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the same species. London: Murray
Dickinson, H.G.; Heslop-Harrison, J. (1977): Ribosomes, membranes and organelles during meiosis in Angiosperms. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. (Lond.) Ser. B. 227, 327–342
Dickinson, H.G.; Lewis, D. (1973): Cytochemical and ultrastructural differences between intraspecific compatible and incompatible pollinations in Raphanus. Proc. Roy. Soc. (Lond.) Ser. B. 183, 21–38
Dowrick, V.P.J. (1956): Heterostyly and homostyly in Primula obconica. Heredity 10, 219–236
Ferrari, T.E.; Wallace, D.H. (1975): Germination of Brassica pollen and expression of incompatibility in vitro. Euphytica 24, 757–765
Fett, W.F.; Paxton, J.D.; Dickinson, D.B. (1976): Studies on the self-incompatibility response of Lilium longiflorum. Amer. J. Bot. 63, 1104–1108
Frankis, R.; Mascarenhas, J.P. (1980): Messenger RNA in the ungerminated pollen grain: A direct demonstration of its presence. Amer. J. Bot. 45, 595–599
Gosh, S.; Shivanna, K.R. (1980): Pollen-pistil interaction in Linum grandiflorum. Scanning electron microscopic observations and proteins of the stigma surface. Planta 149, 257–261
Golynskaya, E.L.; Bashkirovna, N.V.; Tomchuk, N.N. (1976): Phytohaemagglutins of the pistil in Primula as possible proteins of generative incompatibility. Soviet Plant Physiol. 23, 69–77
Heslop-Harrison, J. (1971a): The pollen wall. Structure and development. In: Pollen: Development and Physiology, (ed. Heslop-Harrison, J.), pp. 75–98. London: Butterworth
Heslop-Harrison, J. (1971b): Wall pattern formation in Angiosperm microsporogenesis. Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol. 25, 277–300
Heslop-Harrison, J.; Heslop-Harrison, Y. (1975): Enzymatic removal of the proteinaceous pellicle of the stigma papilla prevents pollen tube entry in the Caryophyllaceae. Ann. Bot. 39, 163–165
Heslop-Harrison, J.; Knox, R.B.; Heslop-Harrison, Y. (1974): Pollen-wall proteins: Exine held fractions associated with the incompatibility response in Cruciferae. Theor. Appl. Genet. 44, 133–137
Heslop-Harrison, Y.; Shivanna, K.R. (1977): The receptive surface of the Angiosperm stigma. Ann. Bot. 41, 1233–1258
Howlett, B.J.; Knox, R.B.; Heslop-Harrison, J. (1973): Pollenwall proteins: Release of the allergen antigen E from inline and exine sites in pollen grains of ragweed and Cosmos. J. Cell Sci. 13, 603–619
Howlett, B.J.; Knox, R.B.; Paxton, J.D.; Heslop-Harrison, J. (1975): Pollen-wall proteins: Physicochemical characterization and role in self incompatibility in Cosmos bipinnatus. Proc. R. Soc. London. Ser. B. 188, 167–182
Karp, G. (1979): Cell Biology. New York: Mc Graw-Hill
Knox, R.B.; Clarke, A.; Harrison, S.; Smith, P.; Marchalonis, J.J. (1976): Cell recognition in plants: Determinants of the stigma surface and their pollen interactions. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 73, 2788–2792
Knox, R.B.; Heslop-Harrison, J. (1970): Pollen-wall proteins: Localisation and enzymatic activity. J. Cell Sci. 6, 1–27
Knox, R.B.; Heslop-Harrison, J.; Heslop-Harrison, Y. (1975): Pollen-wall proteins: Localization and characterization of gametophytic and sporophytic fractions. In: The Biology of the Male Gamete, (eds. Duckett, J.G.; Racey, P.A.), pp. 177–187. London: Acad. Press
Lewis, D. (1942): The physiology of incompatibility in Plants. I. The effect of temperature. Proc. R. Soc. (Lond.) Ser. B. 131, 13–26
Lewis, D. (1943): The physiology of incompatibility in Plants. II. Linum grandiflorum. Ann. Bot. 7, 115–122
Martin, F.W. (1959): Staining and observing pollen tubes in the style by means of fluorescence. Stain Technol. 34, 125–128
Mattsson, O.; Knox, R.B.; Heslop-Harrison, J.; Heslop-Harrison, Y. (1974): Protein pellicle of stigmatic papillae as a probable recognition site in incompatibility reactions. Nature 247, 298–300
Modlibowska, I. (1942): Biomodality of crowded pollen tubes in Primula obconica. J. Hered. 33, 187–190
Nettancourt, de D. (1977): Incompatibility in Angiosperms. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer
Pandey, K.K. (1970): Time and site of S gene action, breeding systems and relationships in incompatibility. Euphytica 19, 364–372
Pearse, A.G.E. (1961): Histochemistry. London: Churchill
Roberts, I.N.; Stead, A.D.; Ockendon, D.J.; Dickinson, H.G. (1979): Glycoprotein associated with the acquisition of the self-incompatibility system by maturing stigmas of Brassica oleracea. Planta 146, 179–184
Shivanna, K.R.; Heslop-Harrison, Y.; Heslop-Harrison, J. (1978): The pollen-stigma interaction: Bud pollination in the Cruciferae. Acta Bot. Neerl. 27, 107–119
Stead, A.D.; Roberts, I.N.; Dickinson, H.G. (1979): Pollenpistil interaction in Brassica oleracea — Events prior to pollen germination. Planta 146, 211–218
Stevens, V.A.M. (1980): An investigation into the morphology, physiology and ultrastructure of heteromorphic self-incompatibility systems. Ph. D. Thesis, University of London
Stevens, V.A.M.; Murray, B.G. (1981): Studies on heteromorphic self-incompatibility systems: The cytochemistry and ultrastructure of the tapetum of Primula obconica. J. Cell Sci. 50, 419–431
Vasil, I.K. (1964): Effect of boron on pollen germination and pollen tube growth. In: Pollen Physiology and Fertilization, (ed. Linskens, H.F.), pp. 107–119. Amsterdam: North Holland Publ.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by H. F. Linskens
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stevens, V.A.M., Murray, B.G. Studies on heteromorphic self-incompatibility systems: Physiological aspects of the incompatibility system of Primula obconica . Theoret. Appl. Genetics 61, 245–256 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00273782
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00273782