Length of stomata as an indicator of ploidy level inActinidia deliciosa

Abstract
The suitability of stomatal length as a criterion in the distinction between haploid (2n=85) and diploid (2n=170) plants of Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C.-F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson (kiwifruit); was tested. Seedlings and mature plants for this study were grown in a glasshouse. Mean stomatal lengths were 26.4±2.4 μm for haploids and 37.9±3.8 μm for diploids in the seedlings, and 24±1.7 μm and 33±2.4 μm, respectively, in mature plants. The means from haploid plants did not overlap with the means from diploid plants (significance at less than 0.001%) in 374 plants evaluated. It is concluded that measurement of stomata length is a rapid technique for identifying ploidy level in kiwifruit.