Advance of self-compatibility transition in fruit crops

Flowering plants have adopted self-incompatibility as an ancestral trait to promote hybridization increasing the genetic diversity and environmental adaptability of the population.
However, a lot of SI losses have occurred.
The transition to self-compatibility is commonly observed in multiple self-incompatible species suggesting plants have made choices between outbred offspring of higher genetic quality and inbred offspring of large numbers.
Most fruit crops are self-incompatible which, therefore, makes each plant unique, meanwhile great challenges caused by self-incompatibility are brought to fruit production and breeding.
Here, we discuss the recent advance of the molecular and genetic mechanisms that underpin the S-RNase based gametophytic self-incompatibility system shared by a variety of fruit crops.
Moreover, we conclude the mutations proved to confer self-compatibility in fruit crops to date, and divide the mutants into four groups including self-compatible cultivars which bear a modification in pistil-S genes, pollen-S genes and non-S genes, respectively, as well as a duplication of S-locus causing competitive interaction, which may open up new perspectives for the targeted genetic improvement and effective production in fruit crops.

V International Jujube Symposium

W. Wei, Y. Sun, Y.L. Jia, F.J. Zhi, S. Wu

gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI), SI breakdown, SC mutant, S-RNase, SFB, modifier locus, competitive interaction (CI)

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1350.10