Pollination and Plant Reproductive Success of Two Ploidy Levels in Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.).

ABSTRACT: Plant reproduction in red clover requires cross-fertilization via insect pollination. However, the influences of visitation rate and timing on maximizing ovule utilization are yet to be determined. We aimed to study the influences of visitation rate, flowering stage, and self-incompatibility on reproductive success. We applied hand and honey bee pollination in the study of eight red clover cultivars with two ploidy levels released between 1964 and 2001. In hand pollination, increasing the visitation rates (from 10 to 80 pollinated florets per flower head) increased the seed number per flower head but reduced the seed number per pollinated floret. Different flowering stages (early, middle, and full flowering) did not influence the seed number per pollinated floret significantly. There was a

SUBMITTER: Jing S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8374103 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature