Hi all,
I keep reading about these 'infertile' or 'sterile' plants. If a plant is a clone, it doesn't produce seed, correct? If a plant produces seed, can that seed be rendered sterile by the producer, for lack of a better word? How does one know if the seed is sterile other than by trying to germinate it?
My evovulus don't produce seeds which confirms Ron's excellent knowledge.
Thanks for any feedback.
~Sunny
Hineni - -Most clones will be self-infertile due to the number of times that the clone has been reproduced by vegetative propagation...
A plant that starts out as being self-fertile(!) can become progressively self-infertile by continued clonal propagation...as the plant becomes so accustomed to being propagated vegetatively,that the mechanisms which enable propagation from seed production are 'shut down' >usually permanently >although a plant that has become self-infertile through continued clonal propagation will still rarely(!) produce a few stray fertile seeds..
A plant may become totally or partially self-infertile for a number of different >but usually inter-related reasons...>e.g.,>
1) the pollen may be self-incompatible,but might still be a able to fertilize another compatible plant
2) the pollen may be dyfunctional partially or more usually totally > in which case it will not be able to successfully fertilize anything...
3) the flower may just be a thrum >in which case hand pollination may work quite well to achieve fertilization...
4)The gynoecium may be physically or chemically impaired and this is often total,but some types of structural 'abnormalities' will respond to proper hand pollination > as is the case in some Ipomoea nil with partial expression of the gene for duplication >the pistil may be 'half-functional' pistil and half-regular flower petal >so if compatible pollen is placed onto the section that is a functional pistil >the pollen may be able to reach the ovules provided there is functional pollen tube transmitting tissue...
5)et cetera...
A plant that produces sterile seeds has produced defective seeds >the seeds are usually not physically or chemically truely complete and therefore functionally incapable of sprouting...
There are some very sophisticated types of scans that can provide a structural and chemical readout to determine the sprouting fitness of a seed,but these are experimental and very exspensive...if you want to know if a seed will sprout...try your best to sprout it...
TTY,...
Ron
P.S. - pollenation and fertilization are related terms but do not refer to the same exact process...
P.P.S. - infertile and incompatible are related terms,but they don't mean the same exact thing,but this may need to be the subject of another 'thread or 'round'...
This message was edited Sep 15, 2006 3:36 AM
Thank you as always Ron. I guess I will just have to try to sprout some of these little babies then! The Cameo Elegans has already stopped flowering, but has produced a ton of seeds that I've saved. I've passed some along as freebies to some others, so I'd better figure out who I sent them to and let them know they may or may not sprout.
Always more to learn....!
~Sunny
