Comparative study on flower bud differentiation of female and male early blooming type walnut varieties

Abstract:【Objective】Wen185 and Xinxin 2 are the main varieties of Walnut cultivated in Xinjiang. They are often used as pollination trees each other in production to ensure the yield of walnut. Researchers have done a lot on the differentiation process of male and female flower buds of a single variety, but there have been few studies on the differentiation process and characteristics of the male and female flower buds at different stages of two varieties simultaneously. We compared the changes of external morphology and internal structure of the male and female flower buds of Wen185 and Xinxin 2 at different stages, and detected the correlation between them as well. Furthermore, we elaborated the processes of the male and female flower bud differentiation to provide a theoretical basis for the cultivation and management of Xinjiang walnut.【Methods】The male and female flowers were observed by paraffin section. The internal structural characteristics of the male and female flower bud differentiation were observed by the microscope (Nikon eclipse TS2) (the image processing software is nis elements D 4.60.00 64 bit, Adobe Photoshop CS6). The male and female flower buds were dissected with anatomical needles, and their external structural characteristics were observed. The data were analyzed to explore the correlation between the internal and external structural characteristics during flower bud differentiation of Wen185 and Xinxin 2.【Results】The results showed that: (1) The female flower bud of female early