Abstract
Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) is considered a self-fertilizing species, but there is no indication as to whether it is strictly self-fertilized or that it presents some extent of cross-fertilization. The objective of this research was to measure the rate of cross-fertilization in O. cumana using an unpigmented recessive mutant as a visual marker. A pot and a field experiment in which single unpigmented plants were surrounded by a large number of pigmented plants were conducted. Occurrence of F1 hybrids, readily distinguishable from unpigmented plants in the progenies of unpigmented plants provided a direct measurement of the cross-fertilization rate. Progenies of unpigmented plants contained 21.5 % of F1 hybrids in the pot experiment and 28.8 % in the field experiment. The results revealed that O. cumana is a partially allogamous species, which has great relevance for understanding the genetic structure and dynamics of populations and, ultimately, race evolution in this parasitic plant.
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Acknowledgements: The research was funded by Fundación Ramón Areces, Madrid, Spain. The contribution of Dr. Enrique Quesada Moraga, entomologist from the University of Córdoba, Spain, to taxonomic classification of pollinators is gratefully acknowledged.
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Rodríguez-Ojeda, M.I., Fernández-Martínez, J.M., Velasco, L. et al. Extent of cross-fertilization in Orobanche cumana Wallr.. Biol Plant 57, 559–562 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-012-0301-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-012-0301-1