Effect of Captan on Pollen Germination and Fruit Set In
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EFFECT OF CAPTAN ON POLLEN GERMINATION AND FRUIT SET IN STRAWBERRY by LIANG-ING CHEN B.Sc. Taiwan Provincial Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan, Republic of China, 1965 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IK^AES! CULTURE in the Division of Plant Science We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA December, 1968 ABSTRACT Using strawberry as a test plant, captan has been shown to inhibit pollen germination when included in or sprayed on the germination medium, or when sprayed on anthers after pollen dehiscence. Toxic effects did not disappear during prolonged germination. However, pollen germination was slightly affected by captan sprayed on the undehisced anthers. When open flowers were sprayed before anther dehiscence, berry set was reduced in the variety Siletz but not in the variety Northwest. When sprayed after anther dehiscence, achene set, and berry development were decreased. The proportion of mishappen fruits increased with captan concentration. Pollination from sprayed anthers was not as effective in fruit setting as control pollination of sprayed pistils. Sprays applied to pistils either just before or just after pollination decreased fruit set. Fruit set was not affected by sprays one day after pollination. Captan therefore seemed to act directly upon pollen germination and not upon the receptivity of the stigma or upon pollen tube growth in the style or upon fertilization. In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Division of Plant Science The University of British Columbia Vancouver 8, B.C. Canada December, 1968. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank Dr. G. W. Eaton, Associate Professor, Division of Plant Science, University of British Columbia, for his guidance and supervision during planning, experimental phases and final reporting of this thesis, as well as his continuous encouragement. Acknowledgment is also extended to the other members of my thesis committee: Dr. V. C. Brink, Division of Plant Science Dr. A. J. Renney, Division of Plant Science Dr. C. A. Hornby, Division of Plant Science Dr. D. P. Ormrod, Division of Plant Science The Canada Department of Agriculture, Research Station, Agassiz, B.C. provided the initial strawberry plants used in this project. My special thanks to D. Armstrong and A. Battensby for their help in growing strawberry plants in the field. The research was supported in part by National Research Council operating grant A2023 awarded to Dr. G. W. Eaton. - iv - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 2 A. Effect of fungicides on pollen germination and fruit set 2 B. Seed count in strawberry 6 C. The control of strawberry fruit rot 7 III. MATERIALS AND METHODS 9 Seed count study 9 Statistical analyses 10 A. Pollen germination tests 10 1. Pollen germination with captan in the media .... 10 2. Pollen germination with captan on the media .... 11 3. Pollen germination with captan sprayed on undehisced anthers 11 4. Pollen germination with captan sprayed on dehisced anthers 12 B. Greenhouse experiments . 13 1. Berry set with captan sprayed on flowers before anther dehiscence 13 2. Berry set with captan sprayed on flowers after anther dehiscence 13 3. Comparison of spraying pistils versus anthers . 13 4. Berry set in pistils sprayed at intervals after pollination 14 5. Berry set in pistils pollinated at intervals after spraying 14 IV. RESULTS 15 - V - Page Seed count study 15 A. Pollen germination 15 1. Pollen germination with captan in the media ... 15 2. Pollen germination with captan on the media ... 15 3. Pollen germination with captan sprayed on undehisced anthers . 18 4. Pollen germination with captan sprayed on dehisced anthers 20 B. Greenhouse experiments 22 1. Berry set with captan sprayed before anther dehiscence 22 2. Berry set with captan sprayed after anther dehiscence . 24 3. Comparison of spraying pistils versus anthers . 26 4. Berry set in pistils sprayed at intervals after pollination ..... 28 5. Berry set in pistils pollinated at intervals after spraying .............. 30 V. DISCUSSION 33 A. Pollen germination tests . 33 1. Pollen germination with captan in the media ... 33 2. Pollen germination with captan on the media ... 33 3. Pollen germination with captan sprayed on undehisced anthers 34 4. Pollen germination with captan sprayed on dehisced anthers 34 B. Greenhouse experiments 35 Days required to ripen . 35 Berry weight and number of achenes 35 - vi - Page 1. Berry set with captan sprayed before anther dehiscence 35 2. Berry set with captan sprayed after anther dehiscence ..... 36 3. Berry set with captan sprayed on pistils or anthers 36 4. Berry set in pistils sprayed at intervals after pollination 37 5. Berry set in pistils pollinated at intervals after spraying 37 VI. REFERENCES 39 VTI. APPENDIS 43 - vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Pollen germination as affected by captan sprayed on the media 17 Table 2. Pollen germination as affected by captan sprayed on undehisced anthers 19 Table 3. Pollen germination as affected by captan sprayed on dehisced anthers ... 21 Table 4. Berry set as affected by captan sprays before anther dehiscence . 23 Table 5. Berry set as affected by captan sprays after anther dehiscence ........ 25 Table 6. The effect upon berry set of spraying pistils or anthers with captan ....... 27 Table 7. Berry set with captan sprays at intervals after pollination 29 Table 8. Effects upon berry set of pollination at intervals after spraying 31 Table 9. The reaction of captan sprayed pistils to pollination at intervals after spraying ... 32 Table 10. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for pollen germination as affected by captan sprayed on the media 44 Table 11. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for pollen germination as affected by captan sprayed on undehisced anthers ........ 45 Table 12. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for pollen germination as affected by captan sprayed on dehisced anthers 46 Table 13. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for berry set as affected by captan sprays before anther dehiscence 47 Table 14. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for berry set as affected by captan sprays after anther dehiscence 48 - viii Page Table 15. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for berry set spraying either pistils or anthers . 49 Table 16. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for berry set when pistils were sprayed at intervals after pollination 50 Table 17. F-probabilities from the analysis of variance for berry set in pistils pollinated at intervals after anthesis . 51 INTRODUCTION Various fungicide sprays are recommended for controlling common tree- fruit diseases using at least 3 or 4 applications during blossom. Little information is available concerning the effects of these sprays on the physiology of pollen germination and fruiting. Several workers have indicated that low tolerances of tree-fruit pollen grains to fungicides or other pesticides can result in reduced pollen germination in laboratory tests when applied in vitro or in the orchard during bloom. There are contradictory reports however concerning the importance of these effects in relation to fruit-setting. The present greenhouse studies with strawberry flowers were designed to test whether the fungicide captan (N-(trichloromethylmercapto)-4-cyclohexene- 1,2-dicarboximide) will inhibit strawberry pollen germination and whether this might affect the development of achenes and related receptacle tissue. Captan is commonly used during bloom to control apple scab and brown rot of stone fruits as well as grey mold of raspberry and strawberry. Therefore, although the strawberry in a convenient test plant, the results may have wider implications. - 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW A. Effect of fungicides on pollen,germination and fruit set Studies on the effect of fungicides applied to the open blossoms on fruit set date from the use of Bordeaux and sulphur fungicides for con• trolling apple scab. MacDaniels and Furr (16) found in 1930 that sulphur dust lodging on the stigmas of apple blossoms could prevent pollen germ• ination and reduce or prevent fruit set. They stated that the practical effect of dusting blossoms may or may not be a reduction of fruit set, depending on the time of dust application with reference to pollination, weather conditions and the number of fruits per spur. MacDaniels and Burrell (17) indicated that the greatest reduction in fruit set was caused by applications of sulphur dust and lime-sulphur spray 24 hours before pollination and the next greatest by applications of these fungicides coincident with pollination. A further effect of several copper containing bactericides was found by MacDaniels and Hildebrand (18). They found that all treatments reduced the percentage of pollen germination and the length of the pollen tube when the bactericides were applied to the surface of sucrose-agar media by using a small duster or an atomizer, but did not seriously cut down fruit set when applied to the blooming trees. They came to the conclusion that the pollen grains might lodge in between the papillae of the stigma and were not in contact with dust particles or wet by sprays. MacDaniels and Hildebrand (19) found that application of copper compounds to the stigmas of apple blossoms had not given the expected results in reducing the fruit set. They indicated that it was probably related to the location of the - 3 - pollen grains upon the papillae of the stigma with relation to the grains of copper lime dust and the failure of the spray to completely cover the stigmatic surface.