Abstract

This paper studied the effects of ⁶⁰Co-gamma ray on the pollen grains of upland cotton. The irradiation effects on pollen grains were tested in terms of the ultrastructural changes in the exine and interior of pollen grains, their germination rate, the single primer amplification reaction polymorphism of ovule developed after the pistils were pollinated by the pollen grains which had been irradiated with ⁶⁰Co-gamma ray, and the law of genetic variation of their M₁, M₂ progeny. The results showed that ⁶⁰Co-gamma ray had no effects on the exine wall of the pollen grains. The interior structure of pollen grain were destroyed significiantly. The interior wall became thin and irregular, and part of it concavitied to the inner. The endoplasmic reticulum depolymerized. The amount and the density of pollen grain inclusions increased. The number of pollen tubes in style decreased by 38%, compared with the control group (natural pollen grain). The single primer amplification reaction polymorphism of ovule increased. The germination percentage of M₁ progeny was decreased by 41.03%. And with the cotton plants of M₁ progeny, the length of taproot, longest lateral root, average lateral root, the number of lateral root, and the height of seedling decreased by 22.24%, 18.93%, 11.80%, 28.02%, 23.05%, respectively, compared with the control group. The percentage of sterility plants was 56.7%. The coefficients of variations of boll number, lint percentage, perimeter of stem, seed index, fruit branch number, longissimus fruit branch and plant height increased by 103.206%, 74.588%, 75.96%, 69.83%, 33.25% and 29.624%, 11.843%, respectively., compared with the control group. With the cotton plants of M₂ progeny, the percentage of sterility plants was 56.7%. And the coefficients of variations of boll number, seed cotton yield, fruit branch number, plant height, boll height, and lint percentage increased by 21.944%, 16.261%, 3.827%, 3.986%, 7.25% and 0.497%, respectively., compared with the control group. The coefficients of variations and change range of agronomic traits in M₂ progeny were less than them in M₁ progeny.

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