Inheritance of Male Sterility in Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume)

Abstract

Pollen fertility and inheritance patterns of male sterility were analyzed in various cultivars and selections of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.). Male sterility segregated differently in two types of crosses. In pairings of male-sterile and male-fertile parents, progenies were either all male-fertile, all male-sterile, or mixed. Crossing two male-fertile plants resulted in offspring that were either all male-fertile or mixed. Male sterility in Japanese apricot appears to be of the gene-cytoplasmic type. The genotypes of 10 cultivars and three selections are determined.