Control of anthesis and formation of reproductive organs in spring rape (Brassica napus L.)

Abstract

The main goal of this research was to study the process of the formation of reproductive organs in spring rape: flower primordia development, flower formation, their anatomical and morphological structures up to seed formation, as well as the possibility to modify these processes under the effect of the auxin physiological analogues – calcium 4-(2-chloroethoxycarbonylmethy)-1-naphthalenesulfonate (TA-12) and ω-trialkylammonioalkyl ester of 1-naphthylethanoic acid (TA-14). The anatomical and cytological analysis of vegetative cone in TA-12 and TA-14 treated plants at the stage of 4th–5th leaves showed that compounds stimulated shoot apical meristem (SAM) cell division: the mitotic index (MI) of meristem cells increased by 45% and 63%, respectively, in comparison with the control. For the first time, the results of shoot vegetative cone apical meristem cell division enable to assume that the study compounds initiated oilseed rape vegetative cone development, activated formation of separate flower organs, early seed-bud setting and accelerated the formation of siliquae and seeds. Keywords: spring rape, TA-12, TA-14, reproductive structures