Abstract
We evaluatod the degree of parthenogrenesis in 32 acccssions and 16 F1 hybrids of Chinese chive, a facultatively apomictic crop, with a view to idcntifying' non-parthenog'enet, ic plants'. Morphological observations on flower traits of the accessions have revealed that Chinesc chivo consists. of two morphospccios, Allium. tuberosum Rot.tl. and A. ramosum L., and various intermodiatc forms. In each accession or hybrid, at least. 50 ovulos.' of unpollinat.ed flowers were obs.erved five days after anthosis by the aplication of Herr's clearing technique. The degree of parthcnogenesis, calculated as thc percentaoe of ovules containing embryos to ovules with an apparontly fertile embryo sac, ranged between 68 % and 100 % among' the accessions. Although most of the hybrids were as highly parthenogenetic as their parental accos.'sions, in two hybrids (.Hu/Fl-1 and Ka/Hu-2) parthenogcnes'is was.' not observed. These non-parthenog'enetic hybrids, however, inherited a high degree of diplospory from t.heir parents' as cytological observations showed that. 88 % of the ovules were diplosporous in Hu/Fl-1 and 78%in Ka/I-Iu-2. Thes.e fact, s indicatc that two essential components of gametophyt.ic apomixis.', apomeios.is and parthenogcnesis, can be disting'uished both g'enetically and developmentally in Chinese chive.
