Abstract
Sex identification in dioecious plants using nonflowering material would have broad applications in both basic and applied research. We present a method using flow cytometry for diagnosing the sex of the dioecious species Silene latifolia Poiret (Caryophyllaceae) by means of sexual differences in nuclear DNA content and base-pair composition. Males have a significantly larger genome, attributable to the known sex-chromosome heteromorphism. Males and females also differ in the AT/GC composition, attributable to differences in non-recombining portions of the sex chromosomes. The two measures enable assignment of individuals to sex with a combined error rate of 9%. These results for S. latifolia indicate useful directions for future research into sex diagnostics for other dioecious species.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 359-370 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Plant Molecular Biology Reporter |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 1991 |
Keywords
- AT/GC ratio
- dioecy
- flow cytometry
- nuclear DNA content
- sex chromosomes
- Silene latifolia