Genetic diversity amongst landraces of a dioecious vegetatively propagated plant,betelvine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Piper betle</Emphasis> L.)

Betelvine (Piper betle L., family Piperaceae) is an important, traditional and widely cultivated crop of India. The cultivators and consumers recognize more than 100 cultivars (landraces) based on regional and organoleptic considerations, while in terms of phytochemical constituents only five groups have been identified for all the landraces. Since betelvine is an obligate vegetatively propagated species, genomic changes, if any, may have become ‘fixed’ in the landraces. We carried out random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis in several landraces considered in four groups, namely, ‘Kapoori’, ‘Bangla’, ‘Sanchi’ and ‘Others’ in order to ascertain their genetic diversity. On the basis of the data from eleven RAPD primers, we distinguished genetic variation within and among the four groups of landraces. The results indicate the’Kapoori’ group is the most diverse. The neighbour joining (NJ) tree after a bootstrap (500 replicate) test of robustness clearly shows the four groups to be well separated. Interestingly, all known male or female betelvine landraces have separated in the NJ tree indicating an apparent gender-based distinction among the betelvines.     

Analysis of hybrids of durum wheat with Thinopyrum junceiforme using RAPD markers

 The objective of this study was to detect the presence of alien chromatin in intergeneric hybrids of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum, 2n=4x=28; AABB genomes) with the perennial grass Thinopyrum junceiforme (2n=4x=28; J₁J₁J₂J₂) using RAPD markers. The first step was to identify amplification of species-specific DNA markers in the parental grass species and durum wheat cultivars. Initially, the genomic DNA of five grass species (Thinopyrum junceiforme, Th. bessarabicum, Lophopyrum elongatum, Leymus karataviensis and Elytrigia pycnantha) and selected durum cultivars (‘Langdon’, ‘Durox’, ‘Lloyd’, ‘Monroe’, and ‘Medora’) was screened with 40 oligonucleotide primers (nano-mers). Three oligonucleotides that amplified DNA fragments specific to a grass species or to a durum cultivar were identified. Primer PR21 amplified DNA fragments specific to each of the five durum cultivars, and primers PR22 and PR23 amplified fragments specific to each of the grass species. Intergeneric hybrids between the durum cultivars ‘Langdon’, ‘Lloyd’ and ‘Durox’ and Th. junceiforme, and their backcross (BC) progeny were screened with all 40 primers. Six primers amplified parent-specific DNA fragments in the F₁ hybrids and their BC₁ progeny. Three primers, PR22, PR23 and PR41, that amplified Th. junceiforme DNA fragments in both F₁ and BC₁ were further analyzed. The presence of an amplified 1.7-kb Th. junceiforme DNA fragment in the F₁ hybrids and BC₁ progeny was confirmed using Southern analysis by hybridization with both Th. junceiforme genomic DNA and Th. junceiforme DNA amplified with primer PR41. With the exception of line BC₁F₂ no. 5, five selfed progeny of BC₁ and a BC₂ of line 3 (BC₁F₂ no. 3בLloyd’) from a cross of ‘Lloyd’×Th. junceiforme showed the presence of the 1.7-kb DNA fragment. All selfed BC₁ and BC₂ lines retained the 600-bp fragment that was confirmed after hybridization with Th. junceiforme DNA amplified with primer PR22. Other experiments using RFLP markers also showed the presence of up to seven Th. junceiforme DNA fragments in the F₁ hybrids and their BC progeny after hybridization with Th. junceiforme DNA amplified with primer PR41. These studies show the usefulness of molecular markers in detecting alien chromatin/DNA fragments in intergeneric hybrids with durum wheat. Received: 21 November 1996 / Accepted: 21 March 1997     

Genetic relatedness among some wild cherry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus</Emphasis> subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cerasus</Emphasis>) genotypes native to Iran assayed by morphological traits and random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis

Subgenus Cerasus species are useful genetic resources for cherry breeding programs. A total of 17 morphological traits together with 19 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to study 39 accessions including 34 wild Cerasus subgenus genotypes belonging to Prunus avium L., P. cerasus L., P. mahaleb L., P. microcarpa Boiss., P. incana Pall., and P. brachypetala Boiss. species, along with an unknown wild Cerasus sample, two advanced cherry cultivars (‘Lambert’ and ‘Bulgar’), and two rootstocks (‘Colt’ and ‘Gisela 6’). Genotypes were separated into different groups according to their species and collection sites using cluster analysis performed by Ward’s clustering method based on morphological data. Nineteen RAPD primers from 60 screened produced 304 polymorphic reproducible bands (98.15% polymorphism). According to the similarity matrix, the lowest similarity was obtained between P. avium and P. microcarpa samples. A dendrogram was prepared by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA), and the accessions were separated according to their species and geographic origin. In both morphological and molecular results, the advanced cultivars and rootstocks were separated from wild genotypes, and the unknown genotype was grouped with P. mahaleb accessions. Grouping by morphological characteristics was compared with the results of RAPD analysis, with no significant correlations between morphological and molecular data being found. This is the first report of molecular (RAPD) genetic diversity study in wild Cerasus subgenus genotypes from Iran, and the results demonstrate the high potential of RAPD analysis for discrimination of Cerasus subgenus genotypes.     

Bioactive content and antioxidant capacity of Cape gooseberry fruit

At present, Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) fruit is one of the less used raw materials of plant origin, which can be used for human nutrition. This fruit, as well as alimentary products made of it, were used by healers in folk medicine in the distant past. The aim of this study was to monitor and evaluate the antioxidant capacity of fresh fruit of three Cape gooseberry cultivars ‘Giant’, ‘Golden berry’ and ‘Inka’. Antioxidant capacity was also tested, on the basis of the scavenging effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation of methanolic extracts made of fresh fruit. These results were further extended and supplemented with determinates of the vitamin C and total phenolic contents. These analyses were made for three consecutive years. The highest values of antioxidant capacity were observed in the ‘Inka’ cultivar (9.31 grams of ascorbic acid equivalents kg⁻¹ of fresh mass). In this cultivar, the obtained results were corroborated also in ROS and the contents of vitamin C and total phenolics. Due to a high antioxidant capacity of this fruit species, the results presented should increase its popularity above all as a promising raw material, which can be used for human nutrition.     

Development of a wheat genotype combining the recessive crossability alleles kr1kr1kr2kr2 and the 1BL.1RS translocation, for the rapid enrichment of 1RS with new allelic variation

The main objective of the present work was to develop a wheat genotype containing both the recessive crossability alleles (kr1kr1kr2kr2), allowing high crossability between 6x wheat and diploid rye, and the 1BL.1RS wheat/rye translocation chromosome. This wheat genotype could be used as a recipient partner in wheat–rye crosses for the efficient introduction of new allelic variation into 1RS in translocation wheats. After crossing the wheat cultivars ‘Mv Magdaléna’ and ‘Mv Béres’, which carry the 1BL.1RS translocation involving the 1RS chromosome arm from ‘Petkus’, with the line ‘Mv9 kr1’, 117 F₂ plants were analysed for crossability, ten of which had higher than 50% seed set with rye and thus presumably carried the kr1kr1kr2kr2 alleles. Four of the ten plants contained the 1BL.1RS translocation in the disomic condition as detected by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). The wheat × rye F₁ hybrids produced between these lines and the rye cultivar ‘Kriszta’ were analysed in meiosis using GISH. 1BL.1RS/1R chromosome pairing was detected in 62.4% of the pollen mother cells. The use of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with the repetitive DNA probes pSc119.2, Afa family and pTa71 allowed the 1R and 1BL.1RS chromosomes to be identified. The presence of the 1RS arm from ‘Kriszta’ besides that of ‘Petkus’ was demonstrated in the F₁ hybrids using the rye SSR markers RMS13 and SCM9. In four of the 22 BC₁ progenies analysed, only ‘Kriszta’-specific bands were observed with these markers, though the presence of the 1BL.1RS translocation was detected using GISH. It can be concluded that recombination occurred between the ‘Petkus’ and ‘Kriszta’ 1RS chromosome arms in the translocated chromosome in these plants.     

Nuclear DNA content of Vitis vinifera cultivars and ploidy level analyses of somatic embryo-derived plants obtained from anther culture

Flow cytometry was employed to determine the ploidy level of Vitis vinifera L. somatic embryo-derived plants obtained from anther culture. Only one among the 41 analysed plants (2.4%) presented somaclonal variation (tetraploidy); the other plants were diploid. No significant differences (P≤0.05) were detected between diploid and parental field plants. No haploid or aneuploid plants were observed. The nuclear DNA content of nine V. vinifera cultivars was also estimated using flow cytometry. A non-significant variation was found among the cultivars, with DNA content ranging from 1.17 pg/2C (cv. ‘Tinta Barroca’ and ‘Viosinho’) to 1.26 pg/2C (cv. ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’). These results and previous studies on other Vitis species suggest that Vitis genome is stable with regard to nuclear DNA content.     

Genetic transformation of three sweet orange cultivars from explants of adult plants

The difficulty in adult tissue genetic transformation in woody species is still an obstacle to be overcome, including in most sweet orange cultivars of the Brazilian citrus industry. This work reports that, after in vitro culture adjustments, transgenic adventitious buds of ‘Hamlin’, ‘Pêra’, and ‘Valencia’ sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) were recovered using adult material as explant source, in genetic transformation experiments via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The transgenic buds were identified by the GUS histochemical analysis and confirmed by PCR analysis, which indicated the presence of an amplified fragment of 817 bp corresponding to the uidA gene sequence. The efficiencies of genetic transformation for ‘Hamlin’, ‘Pêra’, and ‘Valencia’ sweet orange cultivars were 2.5, 1.4, and 3.7%, respectively. Media supplemented with auxins and cytokinins during co-culture, and media with high concentrations of cytokinins (3 mg L⁻¹) during transgenic selection led to the transformation and, consequently, the regeneration of adequate number of adventitious buds for the three cultivars. The use of sonication during the explant disinfection was not effective to reduce endophytic contamination and reduced transformation efficiency.     

AFLP analysis of nephthytis (Syngonium podophyllum Schott) selected from somaclonal variants

This study analyzed genetic differences of 19 cultivars selected from somaclonal variants of Syngonium podophyllum Schott along with their parents as well as seven additional Syngonium species and six other aroids using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers generated by 12 primer sets. Among the 19 somaclonal cultivars, ‘Pink Allusion’ was selected from ‘White Butterfly’. Tissue culture of ‘Pink Allusion’ through organogenesis resulted in the development of 13 additional cultivars. Self-pollination of ‘Pink Allusion’ obtained a cultivar, ‘Regina Red Allusion’, and tissue culture propagation of ‘Regina Red Allusion’ led to the release of five other cultivars. The 12 primer sets generated a total of 1,583 scorable fragments from all accessions, of which 1,284 were polymorphic (81.9%). The percentages of polymorphic fragments within ‘White Butterfly’ and ‘Regina Red Allusion’ groups, however, were only 1.2% and 0.4%, respectively. Jaccard's similarity coefficients among somaclonal cultivars derived from ‘White Butterfly’ and ‘Regina Red Allusion’, on average, were 0.98 and 0.99, respectively. Seven out of the 15 cultivars from the ‘White Butterfly’ group and three out of six from the ‘Regina Red Allusion’ group were clearly distinguished by AFLP analysis as unique fragments were associated with respective cultivars. The unsuccessful attempt to distinguish the remaining eight cultivars from the ‘White Butterfly’ group and three from the ‘Regina Red Allusion’ group was not attributed to experimental errors or the number of primer sets used; rather it is hypothesized to be caused by DNA methylation and/or some rare mutations. This study also calls for increased genetic diversity of cultivated Syngonium as they are largely derived from somaclonal variants.     

Inheritance of growth form and mechanical characters in reciprocal polyploid hybrids of Rosa section Caninae—implications for the ecological niche differentiation and radiation process of hybrid offspring

Within Rosa section Caninae (dogroses) two different growth types exist, arching (L-type) and erect (D-type). Due to the specific mode of chromosome allocation during meiosis, character inheritance in dogroses is maternally skewed. In this paper we try to assess the mode of inheritance of the ‘growth form’ in reciprocal hybrids of R. canina L. and R. rubiginosa L. to predict possible ecological niches and radiation processes of hybridogenic offspring. A quantitative analysis of mechanical properties indicates that neither an expected parentally skewed nor an intermediate habit was expressed by the hybrids, but a dominant L-type as in R. canina, regardless of the parental relationship (pollen-parent or seed-parent). Our results implicate two possible scenarios to be further tested: (a) R. canina acts as a species with a dominant allele for the growth form character. If so, this would be the first evidence of a Mendelian character inheritance in the dogroses. (b) ‘Growth form’ in the dogroses is not a Mendelian character, but a syndrom which realises as an emergent functional property with underlying phenotypic structural differences in stem and wood anatomy.The first two authors contributed equally to the study.     

Embryogenic mango cultures selected for resistance toColletotrichum gloeosporioides culture filtrate show variation in random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

Summary Genomic DNA isolated from embryogenic cultures of two mango cultivars, ‘Hindi’ and ‘Carabao,’ that had been selected for resistance to the culture filtrate ofColletotrichum gloeosporioides, was analyzed using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD).In vitro selection caused changes in RAPD markers in the selected embryogenic cultures with respect to the unchallenged control cultures and the stock plants. The differences involved both the absence and the presence of additional RAPD markers in the resistant lines, although the former was most commonly observed. The absence of differences between the unchallenged control of either cultivar and DNA from the leaves of parent trees confirmed that the changes were not due to prolonged maintenance in liquid cultures.     

An <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> method to evaluate grapevine cultivars for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erysiphe necator</Emphasis> susceptibility

Powdery mildew, caused by the obligate biotrophic ascomycete Erysiphe necator, is one of the most destructive grapevine diseases worldwide. Cultivars of Vitis vinifera L, for wine and table grape production, are all susceptible to E. necator, whose attacks result in severe epidemics under the warm and dry conditions of the Mediterranean basin. The aim of the present study was to compare the susceptibility of different grapevine cultivars to E. necator by an in vitro assay for assessing the potentiality of this method in breeding programs for resistance to the pathogen. Leaves of 12 grapevine cultivars were spot-inoculated in vitro with about 10 conidia from five different isolates of E. necator, using colony growth and conidiation 3 wk post-inoculation as indicators of susceptibility to the disease. A remarkable difference was observed between highly susceptible cultivars like ‘Baresana’, ‘Malvasia’, ‘Bianca’, and ‘Italia’, and the less susceptible ‘Alphonse Lavallée’ and ‘Ohanez’, in accordance with their behavior in the field. No statistically significant differences were found in the virulence of E. necator isolates.     

Localization of the rice stripe disease resistance gene, Stv-bi, by graphical genotyping and linkage analyses with molecular markers

 We used graphical genotyping and linkage analyses with molecular markers to determine the chromosomal location of the rice stripe disease resistance gene, Stv-b ⁱ . The stripe resistance gene from the indica rice (Oryza sativa) cv ‘Modan’ was introgressed into several Japanese rice varieties. We found 4 RFLP markers in ‘Modan’, five susceptible parental rice varieties (‘Norin No. 8’, ‘Sachihikari’, ‘Kanto No. 98’, ‘Hokuriku No.103’ and ‘Koganebare’) and four resistant progeny varieties (‘St. No. 1’, ‘Aichi No. 6’, ‘Aoisora’ and ‘Asanohikari’). Graphical genotyping of the resistant progeny revealed a chromosomal segment ascribable to ‘Modan’ and associated with stripe resistance. The chromosomal segment from ‘Modan’ was located at 35.85 cM on chromosome 11. Linkage analysis using 120 F₂ individuals from a cross between ‘Koshihikari’ (susceptible) and ‘Asanohikari’ (resistant) revealed another 8 RFLP markers in the same chromosome. We performed a bioassay for rice stripe resistance in F₃ lines of the F₂ individuals using infective small brown planthoppers and identified an 1.8-cM segment harboring the rice stripe disease resistance gene, Stv-b ⁱ , between XNpb220 and XNpb257/ XNpb254. Furthermore, Stv-b ⁱ was linked by 0.0 cM to a RFLP marker, ST10, which was developed on the basis of the results of RAPD analysis. These DNA markers near the Stv-b ⁱ locus may be useful in marker-assisted selection and map-based cloning of the Stv-b ⁱ gene. Received: 26 September 1997 / Accepted: 4 November 1997     

Resistance to Phytophthora fragariae var. fragariae in strawberry: the Rpf2 gene

  Phytophthora fragariae var. fragariae is the causal agent of red stele (red core) root rot in strawberry (Fragaria spp.). The inheritance of resistance to one isolate of this fungus was studied in 12 segregating populations of F.×ananassa derived from crosses between four resistant cultivars (‘Climax’, ‘Redgauntlet’, ‘Siletz’, and ‘Sparkle’) and three susceptible cultivars (‘Blakemore’, ‘Glasa’, and ‘Senga’ Sengana’). The analysis clearly supports the hypothesis of a single segregating dominant resistance gene. It is proposed that this gene be designated Rpf2. Received 12 November 1996 / Accepted: 22 November 1996     

Field resistance of spring barley cultivars to powdery mildew in Lithuania

During vegetative period 2004–2005 powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. hordei Em. Marchal) field resistance of spring barley cultivars was investigated at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture. The spring barley genotypes tested were Lithuania-registered cultivars, cultivars from genetic resources collection, and the new cultivars used for initial breeding. In total, 23 resistance genes were present in the 84 cultivars studied. Among mono-genes only mlo and 1-B-53 showed very high resistance. Slight powdery mildew necroses (up to 3 scores) formed on cultivars possessing these genes. The maximal powdery mildew (PM) severity reached a score of 8.5 and the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) a value of 1216.8. The cultivars ‘Primus’, ‘Astoria’, ‘Power’, ‘Harrington’ and ‘Scarlett’ were the most resistant among the non mlo cultivars. Severity of PM on ‘Primus’ reached a score of 3.5 (3.0 of PM necrosis) in average, the other cultivars were diseased from 4.5 (3.0) to 5.0 (2.0). The AUDPC values for these cultivars except ‘Scarlett’ were the lowest (85.0–145.3) among the other cultivars. The highest contrast in development of the other leaf diseases was between highly resistant and susceptible to PM cultivar groups. The fast development of PM depressed development of the other diseases 4.7 times.     

Genetic Discrimination of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Catharanthus roseus</Emphasis> Cultivars by Pyrolysis Mass Spectrometry

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) is a rapid, simple, high-resolution analytical method based on thermal degradation of complex materials in a vacuum. It is widely applied to the discrimination of closely related microbial strains. Leaf samples from eight cultivars (‘Apricot Delight’, ‘Cooler Grape’, ‘Cooler Peppermint’, ‘Equator Grape’, ‘Equator Rose’, ‘Equator White’, ‘Equator White Eye’, and ‘Little Bright Eye’) of Catharanthus roseus were subjected to PyMS for spectral fingerprinting. Discriminant analysis (DA) of PyMS data enabled us to assign these cultivars to discrete clusters. A hierarchical dendrogram based on DA provided a possible relationship among them that was in general agreement with a previously reported classification of the cultivars based on DNA fingerprints. Furthermore, those belonging to the same ‘series’ were grouped into a single cluster, which previously could not be achieved through similar approaches based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy or ¹H NMR data. Overall results suggest that chemical differences (i.e., in pyrolysate composition) among cultivars, as detected by mass spectrometry, reflect their genetic variation.     

Relationship between parental chromosomic contribution and nuclear DNA content in the coffee interspecific hybrid C. pseudozanguebariae×C. liberica var ‘dewevrei’

 F₁ hybrids were obtained between two coffee species with the same chromosome number (2n=22) but with different nuclear DNA contents [C. pseudozanguebariae (PSE) 2C=1.13 pg and C. liberica var ‘dewevrei’ (DEW) 2C=1.42 pg]. G2 hybrids were obtained by open-pollination of the F₁ hybrids. Genomic in situ hybridisation (GISH) and flow cytometry were used on six F₁ hybrids and seven G2 hybrids to determine their parental chromosomic contribution and their nuclear DNA content (qDNA), respectively. GISH efficiently identified chromosomes from both species. F₁ hybrids had a qDNA intermediate between that of the parental species and contained the expected 11 chromosomes from each species. There was a linear relationship between the number of PSE chromosomes and the nuclear DNA content, which indicates that flow cytometry can be used to give a rough estimate of the parental chromosomic contribution in G2 hybrids. Received: 1 August 1997/Accepted: 25 August 1997     

Parasitism ofLeptinotarsa decemlineata [Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae] byEdovum puttleri [Hymenoptera: Eulophidae] in different cultivars of eggplant

Experiments were conducted to quantify parasitism of Colorado potato beetle,Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), by the egg parasitoid,Edovum puttleri Grissell, on 3 different cultivars of eggplant,Solanum melongena L. Levels of parasitism were higher (P<0.05) on ‘Black Pride’ than on other cultivars. The percentage of egg masses that were parasitized was 1.2-fold higher (P<0.05) on ‘Black Pride’ than on ‘Harris Special’ and ‘White’. The number of eggs per mass that were parasitized was 1.3- and 1.4- fold greater (P<0.05) on ‘Black Pride’ than on ‘Harris Special’ and ‘White’, respectively. The percentage of eggs that were parasitized per mass and percentage of emerged adult parasitoids did not differ (P>0.05) among cultivars; between 2.1- to 2.6- fold more females than males emerged from eggs on all cultivars during the growing season.Edovum puttleri suppressed the 2nd generation ofL. decemlineata on ‘Black Pride’ and ‘Harris Special’, but did not suppress populations on ‘White’.      

Development of sex-linked PCR markers for gender identification in Actinidia

 Two sex-linked random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers identified from Actinidia chinensis were converted into sequence-characterised amplified regions (SCARs) for the large-scale screening of Actinidia breeding populations. Initial SCAR primers converted one RAPD (SmX) into a dominant marker, but the other (SmY), which was potentially more useful because of its linkage to the male determining ‘Y’ locus, failed to retain polymorphism. This difficulty was overcome by cloning and sequencing the alternate ‘allele’ from female plants, and then designing ‘allele’-specific primers that utilised nucleotide differences between the sexes. Using a quick squash-blot method of DNA extraction, the SCAR primers were tested in 120 A. chinensis plants to determine their gender. The system is now in use for large-scale screening of seedling populations in the Actinidia breeding programme. The sex-linked SCAR primers also functioned with plants from some other geographically separate accessions of A. chinensis and with plants in the closely related polyploid species A. deliciosa, but did not amplify a sex-linked band in more distantly related species of Actinidia. Received: 27 December 1997 / Accepted: 5 March 1998     

Exogenous ethylene influences flower opening of cut roses (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa hybrida</Emphasis>) by regulating the genes encoding ethylene biosynthesis enzymes

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the differential responses of flower opening to ethylene in two cut rose cultivars, ‘Samantha’, whose opening process is promoted, and ‘Kardinal’, whose opening process is inhibited by ethylene. Ethylene production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase and oxidase activities were determined first. After ethylene treatment, ethylene production, ACC synthase (ACS) and ACC oxidase (ACO) activities in petals increased and peaked at the earlier stage (stage 3) in ‘Samantha’, and they were much more dramatically enhanced and peaked at the later stage (stage 4) in ‘Kardinal’ than control during vasing. cDNA fragments of three Rh-ACSs and one Rh-ACO genes were cloned and designated as Rh-ACS1, Rh-ACS2, Rh-ACS3 and Rh-ACO1 respectively. Northern blotting analysis revealed that, among three genes of ACS, ethylene-induced expression patterns of Rh-ACS3 gene corresponded to ACS activity and ethylene production in both cultivars. A more dramatic accumulation of Rh-ACS3 mRNA was induced by ethylene in ‘Kardinal’ than that of ‘Samantha’. As an ethylene action inhibitor, STS at concentration of 0.2 mmol/L generally inhibited the expression of Rh-ACSs and Rh-ACO in both cultivars, although it induced the expression of Rh-ACS3 transiently in ‘Kardinal’. Our results suggests that ‘Kardinal’ is more sensitive to ethylene than ‘Samantha’; and the changes of Rh-ACS3 expression caused by ethylene might be related to the acceleration of flower opening in ‘Samantha’ and the inhibition in ‘Kardinal’. Additional results indicated that three Rh-ACSs genes were differentially associated with flower opening and senescence as well as wounding.