POLLEN-OVULE RATIOS IN THE CRUCIFERAE

Several recent studies have revealed sources of variation in pollen-ovule ratios that might limit their usefulness as breeding system indicators. In this survey, pollen-ovule ratios were determined for 66 crucifer taxa (Cruciferae) with known breeding systems to establish whether a clear distinction could be made between the pollen-ovule ratios of allogamous and autogamous crucifers and whether this was sufficient to allow a standard to be set for the Cruciferae. Both the mean number of pollen grains per flower and the pollen-ovule ratio were significantly larger in the allogamous taxa than in the autogamous taxa, whereas the mean number of ovules per flower was not significantly different. However, the pollen-ovule ratio was found to be a much better indicator of the breeding system than the mean number of pollen grains by itself, based on the degree of overlap between the values for the allogamous and autogamous taxa. Variation in the amount of pollen produced by different sets of stamens and a correlation between the pollen-ovule ratio and seed size were identified as potential sources of error in calculating and interpreting the pollen-ovule ratios. This survey suggests that the pollen-ovule ratios of allogamous crucifers are typically greater than 3,500, that those of autogamous crucifers are typically less than 1,000, and that these standards can be used for indicating the breeding systems of other species in the Cruciferae.