Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi
Background Many plants, including those commonly found in the Fagaceae family, produce more flowers and ovules than mature fruits and seeds. In Castanea henryi, an ovary contains 16–24 ovules, but only one develops into a seed. The other ovules abort or otherwise fail to fully develop, but the reaso...
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PeerJ Inc.
2025-01-01
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| author | Qi Qiu Xiaoming Tian Guolong Wu Juntao Wu Deyi Yuan Xiaoming Fan |
| author_facet | Qi Qiu Xiaoming Tian Guolong Wu Juntao Wu Deyi Yuan Xiaoming Fan |
| author_sort | Qi Qiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Many plants, including those commonly found in the Fagaceae family, produce more flowers and ovules than mature fruits and seeds. In Castanea henryi, an ovary contains 16–24 ovules, but only one develops into a seed. The other ovules abort or otherwise fail to fully develop, but the reason for this is unknown. Such a strict reproductive screening mechanism is rare in plants. Methods In this study, controlled pollination scheme were adopted, and conventional paraffin embedding and semi-thin sectioning techniques, followed by microscopy, were used for cytological studies of ovule development in C. henryi. Results Pollination affected not only the process of ovule development, but also the proportion of ovules that formed mature embryo sacs. Approximately 53.53% of the ovules in the pollinated treatment developed normally, while only 16.55% of the ovules in the unpollinated treatment developed into mature embryo sacs with a seven-cell, eight-nucleated structure. Failure to form mature embryo sacs and the abnormal divisions of the zygote, respectively, were the reasons for the pre- and post-fertilization ovule failures. Our findings not only provide basic information on the reproductive biology and also information on seed production of C. henryi. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-707b80d7ce5e420c8f9f8143f42c51ef |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-707b80d7ce5e420c8f9f8143f42c51ef2025-01-04T15:05:24ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-01-0113e1871110.7717/peerj.18711Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryiQi Qiu0Xiaoming Tian1Guolong Wu2Juntao Wu3Deyi Yuan4Xiaoming Fan5Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan Province, ChinaHunan Botanical Garden, Changsha, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan Province, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan Province, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan Province, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan Province, ChinaBackground Many plants, including those commonly found in the Fagaceae family, produce more flowers and ovules than mature fruits and seeds. In Castanea henryi, an ovary contains 16–24 ovules, but only one develops into a seed. The other ovules abort or otherwise fail to fully develop, but the reason for this is unknown. Such a strict reproductive screening mechanism is rare in plants. Methods In this study, controlled pollination scheme were adopted, and conventional paraffin embedding and semi-thin sectioning techniques, followed by microscopy, were used for cytological studies of ovule development in C. henryi. Results Pollination affected not only the process of ovule development, but also the proportion of ovules that formed mature embryo sacs. Approximately 53.53% of the ovules in the pollinated treatment developed normally, while only 16.55% of the ovules in the unpollinated treatment developed into mature embryo sacs with a seven-cell, eight-nucleated structure. Failure to form mature embryo sacs and the abnormal divisions of the zygote, respectively, were the reasons for the pre- and post-fertilization ovule failures. Our findings not only provide basic information on the reproductive biology and also information on seed production of C. henryi.https://peerj.com/articles/18711.pdfCastanea henryiSingle seedOvule developmentEmbryo sacAbortive processes |
| spellingShingle | Qi Qiu Xiaoming Tian Guolong Wu Juntao Wu Deyi Yuan Xiaoming Fan Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi PeerJ Castanea henryi Single seed Ovule development Embryo sac Abortive processes |
| title | Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi |
| title_full | Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi |
| title_fullStr | Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi |
| title_short | Basis of single-seed formation in chestnut: cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of Castanea henryi |
| title_sort | basis of single seed formation in chestnut cytomorphological observations reveal ovule developmental patterns of castanea henryi |
| topic | Castanea henryi Single seed Ovule development Embryo sac Abortive processes |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/18711.pdf |
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