52-56 A STUDY OF SELF-POLLINATION AND CROSS-POLLINATION IN AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA MILL.) CV. HASS OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES

Abstract

Abstract The following study was carried out al "La Palma!' Experimental Center of de Faculty of Agronomy of de Catholic University of Valparaiso, for the evaluation of the influence of different avocado varieties as pollinators of Hass. A Hass test field (planted l0xl0m.) was used, containing sections with different pollinators planted in 1975. Pollinators are distributed in quincunce in the Hass planting, belonging to the Bacon, Edranol, Hass, Rincon and Zutano varieties. The control was a section with only Hass trees planted without pollinators. The aim was to determine for each combination and the control the percentages of self-pollination and cross-pollination in the descendants of the Hass fruits by analyzing the origin of parental pollen in fruit embryos using isoenzymes as genetic markers; thereby enabling a determination of which varieties behave better as pollinators of Hass under local conditions in the Quillota area. Electrophoresis test in starch gels at 11% concentrations were carried out using 14 isoenzymatic systems of GOT-1, GOT-2, PGI-2, PGM-1, PGM-2, LAP-1, LAP-2, EST-FL, MDIL TPI-2, SKDH-1, SKDH-2, 6-PGD-2, 6-PGD-3 and 6-PGD-4. The analyzed fruit was collected from October 1994 to January 1995. The results showed Hass to be weak self-pollinator, being easily displaced by pollen from other parental plant when found associated to other varieties. The pollinators which provided the highest cross-pollination results in their combinations were Zutano, Edranol and Bacon cultivars, presenting no significant differences between them. Rincon variety proved a weak pollinator for Hass

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