FERTILIZATION AND POSTFERTILIZATION DEVELOPMENT IN WHEAT

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
With the use of a dissection squash technique an examination was made of the fusion process in fertilization in wheat. The male gamete is in the resting stage when it comes in contact with the egg cell nucleus. After penetrating into the egg cell nucleus it becomes diffuse, stains less densely, and eventually is indistinguishable from the female nuclear contents. The contents enter prophase and the chromosomes resolve on one spindle. The fusion process in the fertilization of the two polar nuclei proceeds in a similar manner but a great deal more rapidly. There is also a general discussion of the fusion process in other angiosperms and gymnosperms. The embryology of wheat is also described. Contrary to some reports the antipodals were not found to play a leading role in nursing the endosperm. The postfertilization development of the embryo and endosperm is given in Table I.