title: [Preliminary study on pollination biology of Tulipa edulis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current study on the pollination biology of Tulipa edulis was conducted to investigate its pollination characteristics and to provide references for artificial domestication and breeding of T. edulis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Flowering dynamics, pollinators, morphology and structure of flower were observed. Different methods were adopted to evaluate the pollen vitality, and benzidine-H2O2 method was used for estimation of the stigma receptivity. Breeding system was evaluated based on out-crossing index (OCI) , pollen-ovule ratio (P/O) and the results of emasculation, bagging and artificial pollination studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The flower of T. edulis showed typical characteristics of Liliaceae. The pollen remained viable to some extent during all the anthesis and peaked within three days after blossoming. Stigma acceptability peaked in the first day of blossom and dwindled away in the next four days. The type of breeding system of T. edulis was facultative xenogamy, three species of Halictus are the main pollination insects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The type of breeding system of T. edulis was facultative xenogamy, withal cross-pollination give priority to self-pollination, and the insects play a main role on the pollination of T. edulis, further validation are needed to judge if the wind is helpful to pollination.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Zhengjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Zaibiao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qiaosheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Hongjian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hongliang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miao
mesh_terms: D001947:Breeding; D035264:Flowers; D011058:Pollen; D054817:Pollination; D031447:Tulipa / Q000502:physiology*