2024-07-08 23:31:43
FUZHOUA group of Chinese researchers have recently discovered the formation mechanism behind self-pollination in cultivated tomatoes, providing valuable information for increasing the production of this fruit.
Researchers at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University have found that tomatoes can alter the structure of floral organs by regulating the development of trichomes on themselves, thereby adopting a self-pollination method to improve their fruiting rates.
Domesticated tomatoes achieve this by anatomically forming a cone around the male anthers, which ensures that pollen can easily reach the stigma. The anther cone is held together by a dense network of hairs called zipper trichomes.
The researchers identified a set of homodomain-leucine zipper (HD-ZIP) genes that regulate the formation of these trichomes. Simultaneously, these genes regulate the length of the female style, allowing the coordinated development of a self-pollinating reproductive structure.
In agriculture, self-pollination of plants results in higher fruiting rates and ensures the inheritance of excellent traits, making it one of the key goals in crop modification for mankind, explained Wu Minliang, a researcher on the study.
The results of the research were published in the journal Science.■