Parthenogenetic diploidy and egg transformation induced by irradiated pollen inNicotiana

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Abstract
It is proposed that “pseudo-fertilisation” by irradiated pollen causes partial induction of the cell cycle leading to DNA replication and chromosome division but not cell division. This produces a diploidised egg cell, and may, under certain circumstances, give rise to a parthenogenetic diploid embryo. Normal fertilisation by relatively distantly related foreign pollen, however, leads to normal induction but may give progeny with a haploid, diploid, or intermediate chromosome number, according to the nature of nuclear or chromosome elimination caused by genomic interaction. It is further proposed that there are embryo growth-promoting genes linked with the S locus, which, when transferred to the egg through transformation, stimulate the already diploidised egg to grow into a diploid embryo. The observations adequately explain selective S-gene transfer through egg transformation, and also suggest a practical means of inducing parthenogenetic diploidy by the use of irradiated pollen.