Effects of Plant Growth Regulators, Soil Moisture Contents, and Carbon/Nitrogen Ratios on Sex Differentiation in Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) Flowers

• Published in: Journal of plant growth regulation Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 1121 - 1138
• Main Authors: Wang, Liyuan, Li, Huawei, Sun, Peng, Suo, Yujing, Han, Weijuan, Diao, Songfeng, Mai, Yini, Li, Fangdong, Fu, Jianmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abscisic acid; Acetic acid; Agriculture; Azacytidine; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon; Carbon/nitrogen ratio; Cultivars; Differentiation; Diospyros; Diospyros kaki; Flowers; Gene expression; Gibberellins; Growth regulators; Indoleacetic acid; Injection; Life Sciences; Moisture content; Nitrogen; Persimmons; Phenotypes; Pistils; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant growth; Plant Physiology; Plant reproductive structures; Plant Sciences; Pollen; Pollen tubes; Sex; Sex differentiation; Soil moisture; Stamens; Trees; Water content; Zeatin; Plant growth regulators; Carbon/Nitrogen ratio; Soil moisture; Sex differentiation; Thumb; Floral development
• ISSN: 0721-7595; 1435-8107
• DOI: 10.1007/s00344-020-10170-9

The sex types of persimmon ( Diospyros kaki Thunb.) flowers are occasionally alterable. The feminizing agents such as ethrel, 5-azacytidine, a mixture of exogenous zeatin (ZT), abscisic acid (ABA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) were injected into androecious wild persimmon trees. Different concentrations of masculinizing exogenous gibberellin (GA 3 ) were injected into gynoecious ‘Jiro’ cultivar trees. ‘Jiro’ trees were also grown in soils differing in moisture content and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, to determine their effects on floral development and sex differentiation in persimmons. Injection of ethrel significantly decreased the diameter of pollen grains and the length of pollen tubes, thereby demonstrating a feminizing effect. Injection of GA 3 significantly increased the length of arrested stamens in gynoecious trees, demonstrating a masculinizing effect. High soil moisture levels (55% and 45% volumetric moisture contents) significantly increased the length of pistils compared to the control (20% moisture content) in gynoecious trees; a high C/N ratio markedly increased the length of both pistils and arrested stamens. Many of the treatments also significantly changed the expression patterns of crucial genes, the contents of assimilates and stress markers, and the activities of antioxidative enzymes in floral buds. These treatment responses may relate to changes in phenotypes. Although the sex types of persimmon flowers were not completely transformed in our study, the treatments significantly influenced pistil and stamen length. Improved artificial treatments may be used to control sex type in persimmons in the future.