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To investigate how different species or ploidy level of pollen donors affects the fruit quality of kiwifruit, flowers of 'Hayward' kiwifruit (a hexaploid Actinidia deliciosa cultivar, 6x) were hand-pollinated with pollen from ten different male donors. Kiwifruit plants pollinated with four distant species—M7 (2x, A. kolomikta), M8 (4x, A. arguta), M9 (4x, A. melanandra), and M10 (2x, A. eriantha)—had a low fruit-setting rate and therefore were not investigated further. Of the other six treatments, kiwifruit plants pollinated with M4 (4x, A. chinensis), M5 (6x, A. deliciosa) M6 (6x, A. deliciosa) had a larger fruit size and weight than those pollinated with M1 (2x, A. chinensis) and M2 (2x, A. chinensis). However, pollination with M1 (2x) and M2 (2x) resulted in seedless fruits, having few small and aborted seeds. Notably, these seedless fruits had higher fructose, glucose, and total sugar and lower citric acid content. This resulted in a higher sugar to acid ratio compared to fruits from plants pollinated with M3 (4x, A. chinensis), M4 (4x), M5 (6x), and M6 (6x). Most volatile compounds increased in the M1 (2x)- and M2 (2x)-pollinated fruit. A combination of principal component analysis (PCA), electronic tongue, and electronic nose suggested that the different pollen donors significantly affected the kiwifruit's overall taste and volatiles. Specifically, two diploid donors had the most positive contribution. This was in agreement with the findings from the sensory evaluation. In conclusion, the present study showed that the pollen donor affected the seed development, taste, and flavor quality of 'Hayward' kiwifruit. This provides useful information for improving the fruit quality and breeding of seedless kiwifruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice bran oil (RBO) has been a popular choice of cooking oil in several Asian countries for decades, and the interest in RBO is fast growing in Western countries due to the high levels of hearty unsaturated fats and other components beneficial to health. Further knowledge of unsaturated fatty acid content and composition in rice lines will assist in improving the quality of rice bran processing by allowing robust extraction of rice bran for oil production. The studies focused on the RBO composition of rice lines with beneficial genotypes are scarce. Accordingly, we investigated the total bran lipid content and composition of three of the most abundant, healthy, unsaturated fatty acids that freely exist in RBO: oleic, linoleic, and α‐linolenic acids in nine parental lines (two male sterile lines and seven male lines) and seven hybrid rice lines, by utilizing an efficacious organic extraction to collect RBO and by developing a user‐friendly reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodology. Our results showed that the hybrid lines had the highest oil content (F ratio = 7.2017, p value = 0.0019), while the male lines had the highest levels of two of the three free unsaturated fatty acids analyzed (linoleic acid, x¯ = 212.801 mg and oleic acid, x¯ = 48.132 mg). Oil weight was negatively correlated with α‐linolenic acid (r = −0.6535, p value <0.0001). All three free unsaturated fatty acids were positively correlated. Our samples' natural variation in lipid content suggests that some rice lines are more suitable for oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Floral gender in angiosperms often varies within and among populations. We conducted a field survey to test how predispersal seed predation affects sex allocation in an andromonoecious alpine herb Peucedanum multivittatum. We compared plant size, male and perfect flower production, fruit set, and seed predation rate over three years among nine populations inhabiting diverse snowmelt conditions in alpine meadows. Flowering period of individual populations varied from mid‐July to late August reflecting the snowmelt time. Although perfect flower and fruit productions increased with plant size, size dependency of male flower production was less clear. The number of male flowers was larger in the early‐flowering populations, while the number of perfect flowers increased in the late‐flowering populations. Thus, male‐biased sex allocation was common in the early‐flowering populations. Fruit‐set rates varied among populations and between years, irrespective of flowering period. Fruit‐set success of individual plants increased with perfect flower number, but independent of male flower number. Seed predation by lepidopteran larvae was intense in the early‐flowering populations, whereas predation damage was absent in the late‐flowering populations, reflecting the extent of phenological matching between flowering time of host plants and oviposition period of predator moths. Seed predation rate was independent of male and perfect flower numbers of individual plants. Thus, seed predation is a stochastic event in each population. There was a clear correlation between the proportion of male flowers and the intensity of seed predation among populations. These results suggest that male‐biased sex allocation could be a strategy to reduce seed predation damage but maintain the effort as a pollen donor under intensive seed predation.

Abstract Self‐incompatibility (SI) in flowering plants potentially represents a major obstacle for sexual reproduction, especially when the number of S‐alleles is low. The situation is extreme in the commercially important olive tree, where in vitro pollination assays suggested the existence of a diallelic SI (DSI) system involving only two groups (G1 and G2). Varieties belonging to the same SI group cannot fertilize each other, such that successful fruit production is predicted to require pollination between varieties of different groups. To test this prediction, we explored the extent to which the DSI system determines fertilization patterns under field conditions. One hundred and seventeen olive cultivars were first genotyped using 10 highly polymorphic dinucleotide Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers to ascertain varietal identity. Cultivars were then phenotyped through controlled pollination tests to assign each of them to one of the two SI groups. We then collected and genotyped 1440 open pollinated embryos from five different orchards constituted of seven local cultivars with known group of incompatibility groups. Embryos genotype information were used: (i) to assign embryos to the most likely pollen donor genotype in the neighbourhood using paternity analysis, and (ii) to compare the composition of the pollen cloud genetic among recipient trees in the five sites. The paternity analysis showed that the DSI system is the main determinant of fertilization success under field open pollination conditions: G1 cultivars sired seeds exclusively on G2 cultivars, and reciprocally. No self‐fertilization events were observed. Our results demonstrate that DSI is a potent force determining pollination success among varieties within olive orchards used for production. They have the potential to improve management practices by guiding the selection of compatible varieties to avoid planting orchards containing sets of varieties with strongly unbalanced SI groups, as these would lead to suboptimal olive production.

Floral gender in angiosperms often varies within and among populations. We conducted a field survey to test how predispersal seed predation affects sex allocation in an andromonoecious alpine herb Peucedanum multivittatum. We compared plant size, male and perfect flower production, fruit set, and seed predation rate over three years among nine populations inhabiting diverse snowmelt conditions in alpine meadows. Flowering period of individual populations varied from mid‐July to late August reflecting the snowmelt time. Although perfect flower and fruit productions increased with plant size, size dependency of male flower production was less clear. The number of male flowers was larger in the early‐flowering populations, while the number of perfect flowers increased in the late‐flowering populations. Thus, male‐biased sex allocation was common in the early‐flowering populations. Fruit‐set rates varied among populations and between years, irrespective of flowering period. Fruit‐set success of individual plants increased with perfect flower number, but independent of male flower number. Seed predation by lepidopteran larvae was intense in the early‐flowering populations, whereas predation damage was absent in the late‐flowering populations, reflecting the extent of phenological matching between flowering time of host plants and oviposition period of predator moths. Seed predation rate was independent of male and perfect flower numbers of individual plants. Thus, seed predation is a stochastic event in each population. There was a clear correlation between the proportion of male flowers and the intensity of seed predation among populations. These results suggest that male‐biased sex allocation could be a strategy to reduce seed predation damage but maintain the effort as a pollen donor under intensive seed predation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐incompatibility (SI) in flowering plants potentially represents a major obstacle for sexual reproduction, especially when the number of S‐alleles is low. The situation is extreme in the commercially important olive tree, where in vitro pollination assays suggested the existence of a diallelic SI (DSI) system involving only two groups (G1 and G2). Varieties belonging to the same SI group cannot fertilize each other, such that successful fruit production is predicted to require pollination between varieties of different groups. To test this prediction, we explored the extent to which the DSI system determines fertilization patterns under field conditions. One hundred and seventeen olive cultivars were first genotyped using 10 highly polymorphic dinucleotide Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers to ascertain varietal identity. Cultivars were then phenotyped through controlled pollination tests to assign each of them to one of the two SI groups. We then collected and genotyped 1440 open pollinated embryos from five different orchards constituted of seven local cultivars with known group of incompatibility groups. Embryos genotype information were used: (i) to assign embryos to the most likely pollen donor genotype in the neighbourhood using paternity analysis, and (ii) to compare the composition of the pollen cloud genetic among recipient trees in the five sites. The paternity analysis showed that the DSI system is the main determinant of fertilization success under field open pollination conditions: G1 cultivars sired seeds exclusively on G2 cultivars, and reciprocally. No self‐fertilization events were observed. Our results demonstrate that DSI is a potent force determining pollination success among varieties within olive orchards used for production. They have the potential to improve management practices by guiding the selection of compatible varieties to avoid planting orchards containing sets of varieties with strongly unbalanced SI groups, as these would lead to suboptimal olive production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivated pear is an economically important fruit tree species of genus Pyrus in which often gametophytic self-incompatibility occurs. Therefore, this species need to be pollinated by cross-compatible cultivars that bloom in the same time. Selection of appropriate pollinizers for pear cultivars is very important to produce commercial yield. ‘Sebri’, ‘ Shahmiveh’ and ‘Natanzi’ are the best commercial cultivars in Iran, but the lack of a suitable source of pollen can reduce productivity. In order to select the most suitable pollinizer for these pear cvs, an experiment was conducted in which they were considered as pollen recipients and ‘Coscia’, ‘Bartlett’ and ‘Sardroud’ along with ‘Sebri’, ‘Shahmiveh’ and ‘Natanzi’ were evaluated as pollen donors. This research was conducted as a factorial experiment in randomized complete block design for four years. Recipient and donor cultivars had almost overlapping flowering time. The flower buds on selected branches were emasculated at balloon stage and then were counted and isolated with cotton tissue bags. Pollen grains of these pollinizers were collected in the laboratory. Isolation bags were taken off from the branches and emasculated flowers were pollinated with pollen grains of listed pollinizers during receptibility of stigma. The number of pollinated flowers was counted, and branches were covered again with the bags. The results showed that for ‘Sebri’ the best pollinizer was ‘Coscia’ with 5.7% fruit set, for ‘Shahmiveh’ ‘Bartlett’ cv. with 5.8% of fruit set and for ‘Natanzi’, ‘Shahmiveh’ with 5.5% of fruit set.

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The effects of pollen from 10 selected (Actinidia spp.) males on 4 main commercial planting female cultivars ('Hongyang', 'Jinguo', 'Jinyan' and 'Jinkui') were studied. The main aim was to explore the theoretical basis on the breeding of highly efficient male pollenizers and improve quality. The results showed that different pollen sources had significant effects on fruit set, appearance and internal quality and 1000-seed weight. The effects on fruit set were related to the different ploidy combinations of male and female. Pollen from diploid males had a positive effect on diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid female cultivars. The effect of pollen from hexaploid males on diploid and tetraploid females was significantly inferior to the effect on the hexaploid female. Overall, the results provide a theoretical basis for improving fruit quality, pollination efficiency, fruit set and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico is the leading exporter of mangos worldwide, and ‘Ataulfo’ is one of the most popular cultivars. However, their production has dramatically dropped in recent years due to the high incidence of nubbins. One of the possible causes is the presence of a delayed self-incompatibility found in this cultivar; thus, proximity to compatible cultivars may help to reduce this incidence. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies that have rigorously tested this hypothesis in this cultivar. For two consecutive years, the present study evaluated the incidence of nubbins, as well as the quality and quantity of commercial fruits of ‘Ataulfo’ trees located at 10, 30, and 50 m away from ‘Haden’ cultivar. Additionally, the yield and economic income of different planting designs were estimated. During both sampling periods, our results clearly indicated that at 10 m away from ‘Haden’ individuals, ‘Ataulfo’ trees presented a lower incidence of nubbins and higher production of commercial fruits, and higher yield and total income per hectare than at 30 or 50 m away from them. These results indicate that planting designs of ‘Ataulfo’ trees located 10 m away from ‘Haden’ will help to satisfy the increasing demand for mangos of this cultivar in the international market.

The “Souri” olive cultivar, which is autochthonous to the eastern Mediterranean region, has been the major olive variety cultivated traditionally under rain-fed conditions in northern Israel. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal pollen donor for the olive cultivar Souri in order to maximize Souri fruit set. Artificial cross pollination of Souri flowers with several local varieties has identified the “Nabali” as the most efficient pollinizer of the Souri. However, further experiments using artificial cross pollination conducted with cultivars not common to this region have revealed the “Arbequina” as a more efficient pollinizer of the Souri cultivar than the Nabali. Based on a preliminary paternity analysis, the Nabali was identified as the dominant pollinizer of Souri trees in traditional olive orchards in the north of Israel. However, in a multi-variety orchard, molecular paternity analysis has shown Arbequina to be the most frequent pollinizer. We then tested, during two consecutive years, whether the presence of a pollen-producing Arbequina tree adjoining Souri trees in the field will increase their fruit set. We found that Souri fruit set was 8.36% when pollinized by an Arbequina tree in close proximity to them, significantly higher than the fruit set of 5.6% for Souri trees without the nearby Arbequina cultivar. On the basis of these trials, we expect that the yield of Souri orchards will improve if Arbequina trees are planted.

Abstract A major challenge in sugarcane breeding program is the obtaining of enough number of seeds (caryopses) for the development of new improved cultivars. Genotypes differ in their function as pollen recipient and pollen donor, which also affect the seed performance. Thus, the aim of this study was to verify the production and performance of sugarcane seeds from different hybridizations involving RB92579 as pollen recipient and pollen donor. Twelve bi-parental crossings were carried out involving RB92579 and other different genotypes randomly chosen. Seed production potential was evaluated by percentage of fertile spikelets and caryopsis fresh weight. The seed physiological potential was determined by evaluating germination and vigor (index of germination rate, number of normal seedlings per gram of fuzz, and seedling dry weight). The results showed better performance for RB92579 as pollen donor for all characteristics studied. Therefore, RB92579 sugarcane cultivar should be used as pollen donor during hybridizations, condition that permits a greater production and physiological performance of seeds for the sugarcane breeding programs.

Flowers of Gold3 kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis ‘Zesy002’, marketed as Zespri® SunGold Kiwifruit) were hand pollinated with pollen from different A. chinensis var. chinensis and A. chinensis var. deliciosa males. Fruit were evaluated for weight, firmness, dry matter content, soluble solids content, seed weight and seed number. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to estimate titratable acidity and the concentrations of the major fruit sugars and acids. Fruit from pollination by male cultivar M43 weighed significantly less than those from pollination by males M91 and M33. These differences could be explained by variation in total seed number between pollen treatments. However, the choice of pollen donor from among those tested appeared to have little impact on Gold3 fruit composition. Regardless of the pollen donor, larger fruit tended to have higher sugar and lower acid concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oat (Avena sativa L.) has recently gained importance due to the discovery of a variety of health benefits and new opportunities of use. There is no efficient protocol for the production of oat doubled haploid (DH) lines. The aim of this study was to increase the efficiency of obtaining DHs of oat by the wide crossing method. The study was performed on five oat genotypes. We have compared the induction of embryos after pollination with maize, sorghum and millet pollen as well as the development of haploid embryos isolated 2, 3 and 4 weeks after pollination and cultivated on media with different sugar content. Haploid plants were treated with colchicine after or before acclimation to natural conditions. Of the three types of pollen used, the largest number of haploid embryos was obtained using maize pollen. Three weeks after pollination was the most suitable time for the isolation and cultivation of the embryos. The most efficient medium enabling the development of embryos and conversion to plants was 190-2 containing 9% of maltose. Colchicine treatment of acclimated plants provided high survival rate.

Xenia is a phenomenon usually associated with phenotype characters controlled by a single recessive gene. The genotype of pollen donor directly determines the phenotype of fruits or seeds harvested from female recipients. Kopyor coconut is a unique coconut mutant and its formation is an example of xenia, since the genotype of the pollen donor determines the phenotype of the harvested nuts. The objectives of this research were to evaluate xenia in two types of kopyor coconuts (i.e. Kalianda Kopyor Tall and Pati Kopyor Dwarf), determine effects of homozygous KK normal and heterozygous Kk Kopyor coconut ratio, and effects of homozygous KK normal coconuts removal from mix population on yield of Kopyor nuts. For Kalianda Tall Kopyor coconut, field observations were conducted at three kopyor coconut plantations in Kalianda district, Lampung Selatan, Lampung-Indonesia while observations of Pati Dwarf Kopyor were conducted at Tayu district, Pati, Central Java-Indonesia. In both regions, coconut provenances were mapped using GPS and sub-samples were taken based on determined criteria. For each sampled tree, observations were recorded for the following variables: nut yield and yield components. The quantitative data were subjected to t-test statistical analysis to evaluate the significant differences among the observed parameters. Results of this experiment showed the presence of more homozygous KK normal coconuts among provenances of Kalianda Tall heterozygous Kk Kopyor coconut resulted in lower harvested kopyor nuts than the expected value. Moreover, removal of homozygous KK normal coconuts from a mixed coconut population increased yield of kopyor nuts. Those results indicated xenia occurred in both Kalianda Tall and Pati Dwarf Kopyor coconuts and it negatively affected the kopyor nut yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Homoploid hybrid speciation is receiving growing attention due the increasing recognition of its role in speciation. We investigate if individuals intermediate in morphology between the two species of the conifer genus Athrotaxis represent a homoploid hybrid species, A. laxifolia, or are spontaneous F1 hybrids. METHODS: A total of 1055 individuals of Athrotaxis cupressoides and A. seiaginoides, morphologically intermediate individuals, and two putative hybrid swarms were sampled across the range of the genus and genotyped with 13 microsatellites. We used simulations to test the power of our data to identify the pure species, F1 s, F2 s, and backcross generations. KEY RESULTS: We found that Athrotaxis cupressoides and A. seiaginoides are likely the most divergent congeneric conifers known, but the intermediates are F, hybrids, sharing one allele each from A. cupressoides and A. seiaginoides at six loci with completely species specific alleles. The hybrid swarms contain wide genetic variation with stronger affinities to the locally dominant species, A. seiaginoides and A. seiaginoides backcrosses outnumbering A cupressoides backcrosses. In addition, we observed evidence for isolated advanced generation backcrosses within the range of the pure species. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, even though they can be large and long-lived, Athrotaxis hybrid swarms are on a trajectory of decline and will eventually be reabsorbed by the parental species. However, this process may take millennia and fossil evidence suggests that such events have occurred repeatedly since the early Quaternary. Given this timeline, our study highlights the many obstacles to homoploid hybrid speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollen donor and pollinator attractor hypotheses are explanations for the functions of the male flowers of andromonoecious plants. We tested these two hypotheses in the andromonoecious shrub Capparis spinosa L. (Capparaceae) and confirmed that pollen production and cumulative volume and sugar concentration of nectar do not differ between male and perfect flowers. However, male flowers produced larger anthers, larger pollen grains and smaller ovaries than perfect flowers. Observations on pollinators indicated that two major pollinators ( Xylocopa valga Gerst and Proxylocopa sinensis Wu) did not discriminate between flower morphs and that they transferred pollen grains a similar distance. However, there were more seeds per fruit following hand pollination with pollen from male flowers than from perfect flowers. Individuals of C. spinosa with a larger floral display (i.e. bearing more flowers) received more pollen grains on the stigma of perfect flowers. Female reproductive success probably is not limited by pollen. These results indicate that male flowers of C. spinosa save resources for female function and that they primarily serve to attract pollinators as pollen donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floral architecture and phenology of the tree species Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae) offer the potential for flowers within inflorescences to share common pollen donors. Patterns of paternity within individual tree crowns may differ among isolated individuals and those in populations due to differences in pollinator foraging behavior. To determine how genetic diversity is partitioned within individual seed pools and whether these patterns differ among isolated and population trees, we obtained all fruits from three inflorescences from four clusters from three isolated trees and from three population trees in Athens, Georgia. We assayed 14 polymorphic allozymes to genotype all progeny within singly sired fruits to determine the multilocus genotype of each fruit's pollen donor. Inflorescences had multiple pollen donors, but simulation analyses revealed that redundancy of pollen donors tended to be more likely within inflorescences than randomly across the crown. Analysis of genetic and genotypic diversity indicated that individual maternal trees received pollen from many donors in uneven frequencies. Results suggest that isolated trees receive pollen from slightly fewer pollen donors and experience more within-plant pollinator movement than trees in populations. However, isolated trees receive qualitatively similar pollen from many sources, suggesting that these trees are not effectively isolated and that pollen moves long distances in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Compatibility depends on the pollen genetic origin and is less successful within many Trinitario clones. • Agronomic traits can be improved when plants are in desirable nutritional status by varying pollen donor genetic origin. • The pH of beans after postharvest practices and the average weight of one dry bean are good indicators for chocolate makers. • Cut-test daily colors are a rapid tool to classify dry cocoa beans into several grades. Incompatibility within and between cocoa trees or cocoa clones is incontestably one of those factors which reduce cocoa yield in fields. Indeed, the traceability of raw materials is one of the major challenges that agro-industries face today. Improvement of cocoa and cocoa products' quality passes through the identification of cocoa genetic and geographic origin as well as the farm where cocoa is produced and harvested. Hand-pollination was used to assess compatibility between clones, to select interested agronomic traits (pod length, pod cortex thickness, average beans number, average beans weight, average weight of fresh or dry beans) and to improve specific cocoa beans quality through physicochemical parameters after post-harvest practices. Three different parents were used as female-clones: ICS40 (higher Trinitario), SNK16 (Trinitario), SCA12 (Lower Amazon Forastero) and four clones added to the female ones as pollen donors: SNK16, SNK13 (Trinitario), UPA134 (Upper Amazon Forastero), T79/467 (Amelado, Forastero), T60/877 (Amelado, Forastero), ICS40 and SCA12. Crosses within Trinitario clones showed a low level of compatibility (0–18%) whereas the general combination ability between Trinitario×Forastero (59–81%) and within Forastero (84–88%) and between Forastero×Trinitaro (78–88%) was very promising. SCA12 showed a high level of compatibility efficiency compared to the two Trinitario female-clones studied. The pollen grains from SCA12 increased the pod length and average weight of fresh beans in ICS40 female-clone meanwhile those of T60/877 also increased the pod cortex thickness and average weight of fresh/dry beans in SNK16 female-clone. The genetic description of each pollen clone donor played a key role in the resulting hybrids. The pH values of fermented dried beans, ranged from 5.31 to 6.26 and was female-clone dependent. A strong negative correlation was observed between the average beans weight (fresh or dry) and pH. These results highlighted that the genetic origin of pollen grains could increase compatibility between clones, agronomic traits and consequently the physicochemical parameters of beans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico is the leading exporter of mangos worldwide, and 'Ataulfo' is one of the most popular cultivars. However, their production has dramatically dropped in recent years due to the high incidence of nubbins. One of the possible causes is the presence of a delayed self-incompatibility found in this cultivar; thus, proximity to compatible cultivars may help to reduce this incidence. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies that have rigorously tested this hypothesis in this cultivar. For two consecutive years, the present study evaluated the incidence of nubbins, as well as the quality and quantity of commercial fruits of 'Ataulfo' trees located at 10, 30, and 50 m away from 'Haden' cultivar. Additionally, the yield and economic income of different planting designs were estimated. During both sampling periods, our results clearly indicated that at 10 m away from 'Haden' individuals, 'Ataulfo' trees presented a lower incidence of nubbins and higher production of commercial fruits, and higher yield and total income per hectare than at 30 or 50 m away from them. These results indicate that planting designs of 'Ataulfo' trees located 10 m away from 'Haden' will help to satisfy the increasing demand for mangos of this cultivar in the international market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy of the description regarding tree architecture is crucial for data processing. LiDAR technology is an efficient solution for capturing the characteristics of individual trees. The aim of the present study was to analyze tree shape variability in a mixed oak forest consisting of four European white oak species: Quercus petraea, Q. frainetto, Q. pubescens, and Q. robur. Moreover, we tested for association between tree shape and individual heterozygosity and whether oak trees identified as pollen donors in a previous genetic study have a larger size in terms of crown and trunk characteristics than non-donors. The woody structure of a tree was defined by the quantitative structure model (QSM) providing information about topology (branching structure), geometry, and volume. For extracting the 3D point clouds a high-speed 3D scanner (FARO FocusS 70) was used. The crown variables were strongly correlated to each other, the branch volume being influenced by branch length, maximum branch order, and the number of branches but not influenced by diameter at breast height (DBH), trunk length, trunk volume, or tree height. There was no relationship between the individual heterozygosity based on nuclear microsatellite genetic markers and crown and trunk characteristics, respectively. Branch volume, total area, DBH, trunk volume, and the total volume of tree were significantly larger in pollen donors compared to non-donor Q. petraea trees. Thus, the mean branch volume was more than three times higher. Pollen donors had nearly two and half times larger total area in comparison to non-donor individuals. Our results suggest that a thorough characterization of tree phenotype using terrestrial laser scanning may contribute to a better understanding of mating system patterns in oak forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Souri" olive cultivar, which is autochthonous to the eastern Mediterranean region, has been the major olive variety cultivated traditionally under rain-fed conditions in northern Israel. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal pollen donor for the olive cultivar Souri in order to maximize Souri fruit set. Artificial cross pollination of Souri flowers with several local varieties has identified the "Nabali" as the most efficient pollinizer of the Souri. However, further experiments using artificial cross pollination conducted with cultivars not common to this region have revealed the "Arbequina" as a more efficient pollinizer of the Souri cultivar than the Nabali. Based on a preliminary paternity analysis, the Nabali was identified as the dominant pollinizer of Souri trees in traditional olive orchards in the north of Israel. However, in a multi-variety orchard, molecular paternity analysis has shown Arbequina to be the most frequent pollinizer. We then tested, during two consecutive years, whether the presence of a pollen-producing Arbequina tree adjoining Souri trees in the field will increase their fruit set. We found that Souri fruit set was 8.36% when pollinized by an Arbequina tree in close proximity to them, significantly higher than the fruit set of 5.6% for Souri trees without the nearby Arbequina cultivar. On the basis of these trials, we expect that the yield of Souri orchards will improve if Arbequina trees are planted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]