A natural sex mutant in kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa)

Abstract

A kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) natural sex mutant is described. The bud mutation occurred in a mature male vine and caused a gender change from male to female. The mutant (ser, sex reversal) carries apparently perfect flowers, with a well developed ovary and styles, but produces pollen that does not germinate and does not fertilise female genotypes. The ser mutant sets fruits when pollinated with pollen from the original or any other male, but not when selfed. The origin of the mutant as a sport mutation was confirmed by the identical genetic profile of both mutated and original canopy sectors at 12 microsatellite loci. Both the original and mutant parts of the vine were phenotypically stable on propagation by grafting. The paper discusses the likely genetic origin of the mutant and its usefulness for studying the genes that control dioecy in Actinidia. © 2004 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.