• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.134-141
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• 2016

The DNA marker T1ex, originally developed from melon (Cucumis melo L.) for monoecy, was employed in chamoe, which is referred to as oriental melon. This marker shows size variations in monoecious melon. However, in chamoe, no such detrimental size variation was found in monoecious chamoe, and 99% association between flower phenotypes and genotypes of the T1ex marker was observed in 106 lines of chamoe. To evaluate the efficacy of the T1ex marker for marker-assisted selection (MAS), a total of 240 plants of chamoe breeding lines were screened using the T1ex marker. Among these, 98 varieties were selected. Although the T1ex marker might not be useful for MAS in melon, we found 100% concordance between genotypes and phenotypes for sex expression in chamoe. These results suggest that the T1ex marker will be a useful resource for MAS for monoecy in chamoe.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.50-59
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• 2018

Background: Duodichogamy is the rarest form of dichogamy in angiosperms, which is characterized by flowering in the sequence of male${\rightarrow}$female${\rightarrow}$male. Disentangling factors promoting duodichogamy require the discovery of more duodichogamous species in angiosperms. However, extremely limited information on duodichogamous species makes it difficult to make general conclusions. Given the inflorescence morphology and flowering characteristics, the Meliaceae family is highly likely to contain duodichogamous species. Methods: We selected 48 individuals from 20 populations in Korea and investigated their flower morphology, arrangement of flowers by sexual condition within inflorescences, and flowering phases and duration of male and female flowers of Toona sinensis (Meliaceae) for 5 years (2011-2015) to determine if the species shows duodichogamous flowering. Results: Toona sinensis belonging to Meliaceae possessed functionally unisexual flowers with rudimentary parts of the opposite sex. The floral organs in male were larger than those in female, except for ovary length and width. In dichasium, male flowers were observed on primary or lateral branches, whereas female flowers were borne only on lateral branches. Overall, individuals from six different populations flowered in the male${\rightarrow}$female${\rightarrow}$male sequence, thereby male is blooming far longer than female flowers at the level of individual trees (male vs. female = 17-20 days vs. 2-4 days). Conclusions: This is the first study to report a duodichogamously flowering species, T. sinensis, within Meliaceae. Several flowering characteristics observed from T. sinensis may be important clues used to discover additional duodichogamous Meliaceae species. Short flowering period and relatively small number of female flowers, which is analogous to reduced ovule numbers observed in other duodichogamous species, may intensify male-male competition in T. sinensis. This study contributed to narrowing down potential candidates of duodichogamy based on their geographic distributions and flowering time.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.126-140
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• 2012

We conducted principal component analyses using the thirty two quantitative characteristics of Najas from South Korea to examine the morphological variation and diagnostic characteristics. As a result of our investigation and the morphometric analyses, each taxon could be identified using the leaf width, shape of the leaf sheath, number of teeth on the leaf margin, number of anther cells, number of areoles in each longitudinal row of seeds, and the ratio of the areole width to the length. Dioecious Najas marina was clearly distinguished from the other monoecious taxa (N. graminea, N. gracillima, N. minor, N. oguraensis, and N. orientalis) by the larger size of the stem, the leaf, the flower and the fruit. The monoecious taxa could be identified using vegetative characteristics except for N. minor and N. oguraensis, which were distinct from each other according to the locule number in the staminate flower.