DETERMINATION OF FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME KIWIFRUIT GENOTYPES (ACTINIDIA SPP.) OBTAINED WITH BREEDING PROGRAM

Abstract

All Actinidia species are dioecious, male and female flowers grow on separate kiwifruit plants. In breeding studies, it isgenerally desirable to obtain female individuals. However, male plants are also of great importance for pollination.Therefore, it is necessary to examine the flower characteristics of the genotypes obtained by breeding studies. Thisresearch was conducted in the kiwifruit breeding plot of Yalova Atatürk Horticultural Central Research Institute for twoyears. Genotypes obtained from cultivars belonging to Actinidia deliciosa and Actinidia chinensis were used in theresearch. At the time of flowering, phenological observations of male and female genotypes, which are prominent in thepopulation, have been made and the developmental stages of the flowers have been determined. At least 10 flowers ofeach genotype were used to determine the morphological characteristics.Number of leaves, number of petals, number of male organs, number of filaments, number of female organs, number offemale organs and number of stylus were examined in order to determine flower characteristics. When the data obtainedas a result of two years are evaluated; significant differences have been obtained particularly in terms of flowering time,flowering period, the number of stylus, the filament size, the number of female organs and the number of male organs.Female cultivars/genotypes tend to flowering later than male cultivars/genotypes, and female cultivars/genotypes haveshorter filament length than male cultivars/genotypes. It has also been clearly observed that ovaries are not functional inmale types.