Allium species

Karpavičienė, Birutė & Karanauskaitė, Dovilė, 2010, Variation In Reproductive Modes Of Allium Oleraceum, A. Scorodoprasum And A. Vineale In Field Collection, Acta Biologica Universitatis Daugavpiliensis 10 (1), pp. 1-9 : 4-5

Allium species ( Table 1).

In A. oleraceum accessions it was on average 0.3–1.3 %, A.

vineale – 0–5.6 % wile all

A. scorodoprasum plants did not set any seeds at all. In the studied accessions the number of seeds matured up by a single individual was:

A. oleraceum – 0–16 and

A. vineale – 0–23. No fruits with all six seeds matured were found. The statistically significant correlation between flowers and seed number were found in A. vineale

(r=0.84, p<0.001) as well as

A. oleraceum (r=0.59,

p<0.001). No one of A.

oleraceum plants *– effects are significant, p<0.05

isolated from insects produced seeds, wile

specialized shoots – bulbs. Allium bulbs are not only multiplication some A. vineale covered

but also renewal structures. Every year in an axil of the uppermost leaf plants matured up from 1

a new renewal bulb is formed. It replaces an old and dried up one. to 3 seeds (0.4 on

Sometimes additional so called daughter bulbs are formed in axils of average). Although some

lower leaves. The daughter bulbs of A. oleraceum were found of uncovered A. vineale

sporadically on mature plants only, whereas A. scorodoprasum and A. plants produced from 1 to

vineale daughter bulbs are formed not only on flowering but also 23 seeds (4.8 on average),

sometimes on juvenile plants. Mature plants of A. scorodoprasum no statistically significant

produced up to 9, A. vineale up to 10 daughter bulbs, whereas A. differences were found

oleraceum – not more than 1 daughter bulb. The daughter bulb of A. between covered and

oleraceum is connected with the main renewal bulb via long axis which uncovered plants neither

elevates it up to the soil surface. A. scorodoprasum and A. vineale in seed number nor in the

produced daughter bulbs covered by sheathing bases of the foliage ratio of seed productivity.

leaves side by side to renewal bulb. The daughter bulbs of A. vineale differed in shell hardness, size and position. The bulbs enclosed in All Allium species

hard shell were formed next to central renewal bulb, while bigger bulbs possess ability of

covered with soft shell were formed more outwards.

vegetative propagation which occurs with the

The second type of vegetative propagules is aerial bulbils formed in participation of

the central part of an umbel. Number of bulbils in the inflorescence of

*– effects are significant, p<0.05

the species studied usually exceeds the number oleraceum – r=0.57, A. vineale – r=0.61 and A. of flowers. One A. oleraceum individual produces scorodoprasum – r=0.52; p<0.001. The from 3 to 161 bulbils. A very similar number of underground bulbs are heavier than aerial bulbils bulbils was observed in the studied A. vineale by 2.2 times in A. oleraceum , 2.1 – in A. vineale plants – the number of bulbils in the and 1.4 – in A. scorodoprasum .

inflorescences varied from 5 to 163, while one plant of A. scorodoprasum produced much more The large differences were found among A. bulbils – from 5 to 237. The mean mass of aerial scorodoprasum accessions in number of flowers bulbils per plant varied from 0.7 to 2.9 g in A. and mean mass of aerial bulbils ( Table 1). oleraceum , from 1.2 to 3.3 in A. scorodoprasum Moreover , a statistically significant negative and from 0.5 to 1.7 in A. vineale ( Table 1). Mean correlation (r=-0.43, p<0.05) was observed mass of one aerial bulbil was very similar and between these characters ( Table 4). Plants of two was the only feature in which no differences accessions producing bigger bulbils (3.0– 3.3 mg between species were observed. However, some on average) and fewer flowers (4.9–5.1 on distinct differences were found within species in average) formed one group and the other two this character ( Table 1). The statistically accessions producing smaller bulbils (19.3–25.3 significant correlation was found between mg on average) and more flowers (18.4–20.6 on underground bulbs (the renewal and daughter average) formed a second group of plants (Fig. ones) and aerial bulbils in all studied species: A. 2).