RESTORATION OF STAMINAL FERTILITY IN<i>NICOTIANA</i>BY INTROGRESSION

Abstract

The interaction of the cytoplasm of Nicotiana suaveolens and the genome of N. tabacum resulted in the production of stamenless plants. The frequency of stamenless plants increased progressively through the first four breakdown generations and appeared to be due to a progressive loss of N. suaveolens factors which influenced normal stamen development. These factors were probably associated with two or more N. suaveolens chromosomes.Restoration of the stamened condition was obtained in plants which possessed one or more specific chromosomes of N. suaveolens. Restoration of anthers, however, did not always result in the restoration of "pollen fertility". In the fourth breakdown generation a homozygous substitution, probably chromosomal, was obtained incorporating the stamen-restoration factor in the genome of N. tabacum.