Characterization Of Florescence, Fructification, Pollination And Fertilization Of Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera Caerulea L.)

Blue honeysuckle ( Lonicera caerulea L.) belongs to Caprifoliaceae family, Lonicera genus, subgen. Lonicera, Sect. Isika, Subsect. caerulea. It has become one of the newly developing small berry fruit crops because of its high nutrion value, plentiful wild resource, excellent hardness tolerance and good adversity tolerance. Although blue honeysuckle widely spreads, suitable varieties and systematic cultivation skills are priority problems.Studies on characterization of florescence, characterization of fructification, pollination and fertilization are barely reported. However, understanding of these questions has much significance for cultivation and breeding of this crop. Furthermore, two varieties, Goluboye vereteno and Blue bird, belonging to L. kamtschatica, failed to bear fruit after flowering as Berel does. This makes problems concerning characterization of florescence and fructification, pollination and fertilization of blue honeysuckle urgent problems needed to answer.This thesis described the anatomical researches on different stages of its reproductive process carried out by microtechnique, fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy, from flower bud differentiation, female and male gametophyte development, pollen germination, flower tube growth and fertilization. Besides, pollination characteristics of blue honeysuckle were studied with Berel, Goluboye vereneto, blue bird and altaica.The main conclusions were included in the following:1. Flower bud differentiationThe apical bud of short branch is mixed bud with apical growing point in the center. Aound the apical growing point, there are four panicle primordiums. Each primordium is packed by young leave and the primodiums are pairwise opposite. One primodium develops into a pair of flowerlets. The development processes between two primodiums are not in accordant. The developmental states of the flowerlets from same primodium are also inconsistent.2. Male gametophyte developmentThe mother cells formed microspores after meiosis develop into single-nucleus pollen grains, double-nuclei pollen grains and three-nuclei pollen grains in correct order. Finally the development ends in three-cell pollen grain. Tapetal layer of blue honeysuckle belongs to amoeboid tapetum.3. Female gametophyte developmentEmbryo sac of blue honeysuckle is polygonum-type embryo sac, it developes into one-nucleus embryo sac, two-nuclei embryo sac, four-nuclei embryo sac and eight-nuclei embryo sac in correct order, finally the development ends in seven-cell mature embryo sac. Development of ovules is in disparity because of the different positions in same ovary. Upper ovules have earliest developmental stage among all the ovules in the same ovary. Ovules from the upper to the base tend to reach mature stage gradually. Usually ovules at the lower part of ovaries form mature embryo sac latest. It proximately costs 9 days for nucellus of middle part ovules to reach mature embryo sac from macrospore mother cell in natural pollination condition.4. Pollen germination and pollen tube growthPollen grains germinate at 1 hour after pollination. Pollen tubes grow fast and uniformly at 6 hours after pollination and most of them reach the middle part of style. Pollen tubes successively reach the base of style at 30hours after pollination, of which some have entered the ovary. Few pollen tubes still grow in the style at 48 hours after pollination while most pollen tubes have gone through the base of style and grow towards ovules in the ovary. Extremely few pollen tubes keep growing in style.5. Time when fertilization occursThe fertilization of ovules in the upper and middle part of the ovary occurs before 30h after pollination. Ovules in middle part of ovary finish fertilization at 30h after pollination.6. Pollination characters of blue honeysucklePollen vitality of Berel and altaica is close to 100% during anthesis. Pollen preserved in -20℃dark place can be stored for almost 4 months. The period is much longer than that of preserved pollen in 4℃dark place. Pollen preserved in 4℃dark place can only be stored less than 2 months. The stigma of Berel flower loses most of its receptibility 50 hours after hand pollination. Effective pollination period is 5 days at least. Blue honeysuckle is unfertile or has a low setting percentage after autogamy, so it is entomophilous pollination plant. Berel performs good compatibility with blue bird and altaica. Blue bird and altaica plants can work as pollination tree in cultivation.The innovation aspects and significance of this research exsit in the following:(1) Anatomical researches of its different stages in reproductive process were carried out by microtechnique, fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy. The application of laser scanning confocal microscopy in the research was the most striking innovation. The microscopy has currently become one of the most advanced methods in cytobiology studies and its application in observing embryo sac of fruit tree has not yet been known.(2) The advice proposed in the thesis, of pollination tree selection and cultivation maintenance, has practical significance on improving pollination rate and setting percentage. Besides, the opinions of planting design may have instrumental effects on the establishment of germplasm nursery.