INHERITANCE OF SOME FRUIT AND FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS IN FULL - SIB PROGENIES OF CHESTNUT

All interspecific hybrids C. sativa x C. crenata produced fruits without or with the rare occurrence of shallow pellicle intrusion while intraspecific hybrids (C. sativa x C. sativa) produced nuts with kernels highly convoluted with numerous pellicle intrusions. A smooth kernel surface without pellicle intrusions seems to be a dominant characteristic of the wrinkled kernel with pellicle intrusions. Inheritance of fruit size and fruit shape was very difficult to assess because of strong influence of environment conditions on these characters. Additivity of minor genes on fruit size could be assumed only in certain progenies derived from female parents producing smaller nuts. When both parents produced big fruits their progeny produced smaller fruits compared to both parents which indicates a more complex inheritance of this trait.

For inheritance of stamen types (astamine, brachystamine, mesostamine, mesolongistamine and longistamine) the new four - gene genetic model has been developed. Two genes were proven to be responsible for the presence or absence of stamens (astamine - male sterility). However the developed model was not fit for the segregation of stamen types in families of interspecific hybrids derived from the female parents of an astaminate type. In these families only seedlings of astamine type (male sterile) occurred.

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