Changes of Free Amino Acids in Developing Buds of a Dominant Male Sterile Line in Sesame

To study the biochemical basis of a newly developed dominant genic male sterile line W1098 A in sesame( Sesamumindicum L.),acid hydrolysis method was employed to characterize the dynamics of free amino acid contents in sterile and fertile buds of W1098 AB at different developmental stages. The results indicated that there were 20 types of free amino acid in buds,and that the contents of most amino acid were lower in sterile buds than in fertile buds during development,suggesting that the shortage of amino acids was associated with the occurrence of male sterility in sesame.The major free amino acids were found to be Aspartate,Threonine,Glutamate,Lysine,Proline and Arginine that accounted for 70% of the total content. Among these major amino acids,the content of Proline was remarkably lower in sterile buds than in fertile buds at tetrad stage,which might be responsible for the male sterility in W1098 A.