title: Quantitative studies on the mating system of opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.).
abstract: Nearly 400 individuals at two locations and over a number of years were crossed and subsequently scored for selfing versus outcrossing in eight monohybrid populations of opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Two different marker loci, petal colour (R/r) and capsule size (B/b) were used to determine the male gametes that had effected fertilizations in F2 recessives (rr and bb). The estimates of the outcrossing parameter α were found to vary with year, location and for the marker locus used (α range: 0.0988-0.3704). Study of two dihybrid crosses involving the two loci simultaneously, further confirmed that outcrossing at the R/r locus was significantly greater than that at the B/b locus. The nature of the outcrossing was, in general, nonrandom. Selfmg predominated in this species; however, there was a high frequency of natural outcrossing for generating variations in P. somniferum.
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, P.B. No. 1, 226016, RSM Nagar, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Patra
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Singh