Temperature and Genotype Influence Sweet Cherry
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TEMPERATURE AND GENOTYPE INFLUENCE SWEET CHERRY POLLINATION BIOLOGY By LU ZHANG A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of Horticulture DECEMBER 2014 To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation of LU ZHANG find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. ___________________________________ Matthew D. Whiting, Ph.D., Chair ___________________________________ Bhaskar Bondada, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Preston K. Andrews, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Roy A. Navarre, Ph.D. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express the deepest appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. Matthew Whiting, who showed me the road and always supported me on the path to this degree. Without his encouragement, understanding and patient help this dissertation would not have been possible. I am also thankful for the excellent example he has provided as a kind, bright and enthusiastic professor, and his personality charisma will inspire me to become a better person. I would also like to express my gratitude to my committee members, Dr. Roy Navarre, Dr. Preston Andrews and Dr. Bhaskar Bondada for their support, enthusiastic encouragement and invaluable advice for my research. I would like to express my special thanks to Dr. Caixi Zhang, Mr. Lynn E. Long and Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis for their efforts and help on this work. I would also like to thank my friends and everyone in my lab for their help and support in my research and life. Special thanks to Ms. Laura Wells for valuable assistance and care. Finally, but most importantly, I am deeply thankful to my parents for their supporting and understanding. I would like to thank my husband Yanwei for his unyielding love, support and devotion all these years. My special and warmly appreciation to my little boy Steven, his coming and accompany makes me strong and happy. iii TEMPERATURE AND GENOTYPE INFLUENCE SWEET CHERRY POLLINATION BIOLOGY Abstract By Lu Zhang, Ph.D. Washington State University December 2014 Chair: Matthew D. Whiting In the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., the commercial productivity of several sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) varieties with outstanding fruit attributes is poor, such as ‘Tieton’, ‘Regina’ and ‘Benton’. Study of the reproductive characteristics (e.g. flower number/spur and fruit set) of these cultivars has revealed that low fertilization rate (i.e., fruit set), specifically related to maternal factors, is the main cause of low yields. This research project therefore studied the role of temperature on floral organ development and, stigma receptivity and ovule viability in four model sweet cherry cultivars: ‘Benton’ (self-fertile, low productivity), ‘Rainier’ (self-sterile, high productivity), ‘Tieton’ (self- sterile, low productivity), and ‘Sweetheart’ (self-fertile, high productivity). Stigma receptivity was assessed by evaluating stigma surface development, pollen hydration level, germination rate and pollen tube growth in vivo. Controlled-climate chambers were programmed to mimic cold, average, or warm spring flowering conditions. In addition field trials were conducted to develop practical strategies to improve fruit set. The lengths of styles and filaments were most sensitive to temperature, being about 11% and 25% shorter in the low temperature environment compared to high temperature, respectively. Generally, pollen hydration and germination were poor under cool temperature and ovules were apt to lost iv viabilities by warm temperatures. Two to three days post flowering, the pollen hydration level, germination rate and fruit set reached the optimal value. Compared with productive cultivars, the primary ovules of ‘Tieton’ and ‘Benton’ lost viability at a faster rate (e.g., 13% viable ovules in ‘Tieton’ vs. 77% in ‘Rainier’ seven days post pollination). Lastly, field trials with aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) (commercial product: ReTain® ) applied at prior to and during flowering revealed the potential to prolong the ovule lifespan and improve fruit set. The percent of inactive ovules of ‘Tieton’ and ‘Regina’ decreased by ca. 180% and 50% while fruit set increased by ca. 120% and 60% by with 499 g/acre ReTain®, respectively. Combined, these results reveal a cause for poor productivity in several sweet cherry cultivars along with a potential commercial solution to overcome the problem. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................iii Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE FLOWER DEVELOPMENT, POLLINATION BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT IN SWEET CHERRY PRODUCTION ................................................................... 1 1.1 Flower bud development and management ................................................................................. 4 1.1.1 Flower induction, initiation and their management .............................................................. 5 1.1.2 Flower differentiation, dormancy and their management ..................................................... 8 1.1.3 Final bud development and management ............................................................................ 10 1.2 Flowering, pollination and their management ........................................................................... 12 1.2.1 Flower structure, density and quality .................................................................................. 12 1.2.2 Pollinizer, pollinator and outcross ...................................................................................... 14 1.2.3 Pistil role and effective pollination period (EPP) ............................................................... 15 vi References ........................................................................................................................................ 21 CHAPTER TWO SWEET CHERRY FLORAL ORGAN SIZE VARIES WITH GENOTYPE AND TEMPERATURE ................................................................................................................................ 33 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 33 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 34 2.2 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................... 37 2.2.1 Plant Material ...................................................................................................................... 37 2.2.2 Temperature ........................................................................................................................ 38 2.2.3 Experimental Design ........................................................................................................... 39 2.2.4 Statistical Analysis .............................................................................................................. 40 2.3 Results ........................................................................................................................................ 40 2.3.1 Floral Organ Size ................................................................................................................ 40 2.3.2 Correlation among Floral Organs ....................................................................................... 43 2.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 43 2.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 49 Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................... 50 References ........................................................................................................................................ 51 vii CHAPTER THREE ASSESSING THE ROLE OF PISTIL IN SWEET CHERRY FRUIT SET WITH CONTROLED ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................ 72 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 72 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 73 3.2 Material and Methods ................................................................................................................ 76 3.2.1 In Lab-Pistil Role Evaluation .............................................................................................. 76 3.2.2 In-field Fruit