POLLEN-PISTIL INTERACTION IN THE INTERSPECIFIC CROSSES OF THE BIOFUEL CROP Jatropha curcas L.
HEMALATHA PALANIVEL *
Department of Biotechnology, College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
R. SENTHIL KUMAR
Forest College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
KAVIYA ANAND
Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Singapore.
S. VENKATESA PRABHU
Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
M. KAMARAJ
Department of Biotechnology, College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The species Jatropha curcas L has recently been evoked attention over the globe as an important agrofuel crop. The utilization of Jatropha species in a breeding program is limited because of low crossability behavior. The scientific perception of the inherent nature of incompatibility with wild Jatropha species offers technical knowledge for successful introgression of new genes to improve biodiesel production. The present study on pollen tube behavior of wild Jatropha species in the pistil of Jatropha curcas was taken up to fix the extent of pre and post-zygotic barriers exertive in these wide crosses. In the cross of J.curcas X J. integerrimma, 51.35% pollen grains were germinated and pollen tubes entered the ovaries after four hours after pollination (4 HAP). In the other four crosses, J.curcas x J. podagrica, J. curcas x J. multifida, J. curcas x J. maheswarii and J.curcas x J. glandulifera, the level of incompatibility was found high and exhibited reduced pollen germination and abnormal pollen growth.
Keywords: Crossability barriers, Jatropha integerrimma, agrofuel crop