Biological characteristics and cytological studies on anther abortion of male sterile Camellia crassocolumna

The purpose of this study was to explore the flower morphology, anther and pollen abortion time and its cytological characteristics in male sterile plants of C. crassocolumna. The flowering process, floral morphology, anther structure, meiosis and microsporogenesis of male sterile (M350) and fertile plants (M352) of C. crassocolumna were observed by stereomicroscopy, paraffin section, chromosome preparation and DAPI staining. The results showed that the wild tea plant had a perfect flower, its anthers were tetrasporangiate shaped like a butterfly, with an anther wall development of basic type. It tapetal cells were binuclear, forming secretory cells at the tetrad stage, and degrading during mononuclear pollen stage. After the meiosis I, meiosis II and cytokinesis, pollen mother cells developed into tetrahedral tetrads. Microspores were triangular, and mature pollen was two-celled. The stamens of male sterile flowers developed normally in the early stage of flower bud development, and there was no difference between sterile and fertile flowers, while in the late stage of flower bud development, filaments were curved, anthers adhered and shriveled, anthers could not release pollen. The tapetal cells of male sterile flowers were proliferation abnormally and disordly at the meiosis of stage pollen mother cells, and the degradation of tapetum was delayed during the mononuclear and binucleate pollen periods. During meiosis of pollen mother cells of male sterile flowers, there were some abnormal appearances, such as chromosome ring, lagging chromosomes, chromosome bridges, chromosomal deletion, scattered chromosomes, unequal separation, micronucleus and abnormal tetrad. In sterile plants, the microspore cytoplasm was disorder, pollen grains adhered to each other at the mononuclear stage, pollen wall crumpled and deformed, cytoplasm and nucleus of pollen were blurred, the mature pollen cells were hollow and sunken. Taken together, the floral organ morphology of male sterile plants in C. crassocolumna belongs to stamen collapse type and anther abnormality type. The development of anthers is blocked from meiosis of pollen mother cells to uninucleate pollen stage, belonging to pollen mother cell abortion type and uninucleate pollen abortion type. Mononuclear period is the main period of anther abortion. Tapetum degradation delayed, chromosomal abnormalities of pollen mother cells in meiosis, and abnormal development of microspores and pollens, might be the main reasons for anther abortion in male sterile plants of C. crassocolumna.