AGUSAN DEL SUR STATE COLLEGE OF

AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

Portfolio on Tomato Floral Biology, Seed

Development and Maturation

Submitted by: Christine Mae A. Manlod

Submitted to: Rodrigo L. Bongolan Jr., Ph. D.

 Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Okra or Okro, Abelmoschus esculentus,

known in many English-speaking countries as
ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the
mallow family. It is valued for its edible green
seed pods. It is a good source of minerals,
vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber

Scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus

Higher classification: Okras
Order: Malvales
Rank: Species
Growth and Development
Okra is mainly propagated by seeds and has duration of 90-100 days. It is generally an annual
plant. Its stem is robust, erect, variable in branching and varying from 0.5 to 4.0 meters in height.
Leaves are alternate and usually palmately five lobed, whereas the flower is axillary and solitary.
The botanical features of various plant parts are detailed in Okra plants are characterized by
indeterminate growth. Flowering is continuous but highly dependent upon biotic and abiotic
stress. The plant usually bears its first flower one to two months after sowing.

The fruit is a capsule and grows quickly after flowering. The greatest increase in fruit length,
height and diameter occurs during 4th to 6th day after pollination. It is at this stage that fruit is
most often plucked for consumption. The okra pods are harvested when immature and high in
mucilage, but before becoming highly fibrous. Generally, the fibre production in the fruit starts
from 6th day onwards of fruit formation and a sudden increase in fibre content from 9th day is
observed. Okra plants continue to flower and to fruit for an indefinite time, depending upon the
variety, the season and soil moisture and fertility. Infact the regular harvesting stimulates
continued fruiting, so much that it may be necessary to harvest every day in climates where
growth is especially vigorous.
 Floral Biology
The okra flowers are 4-8 cm in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red
or purple spot at the base of each petal and the flower withers within one day. The flower
structure combines hermaphroditism and self-compatibility. Flower bud appears in the axil of
each leaf, above 6th to 8th leaf depending upon the cultivar. The crown of the stem at this time
bears 3-4 underdeveloped flowers but later on during the period of profuse flowering of the
plant there may be as many as 10 undeveloped flowers on a single crown.
As the stem elongates, the lower most flower buds open into flowers. There may be a
period of 2, 3 or more days between the time of development of each flower but never does
more than one flower appear on a single stem. A flower bud takes about 22-26 days from
initiation to full bloom. The style is surrounded by a staminal column which may bear more
than 100 anthers. The pollen may come in contact with the stigmas through a lengthening of
the staminal column or through insect foraging (Thakur and Arora, 1986). Thus, the flowers
of okra are self-fertile. The pollen grain is large with many pores, and every pore is a
potential tube source; therefore, many tubes can develop from one pollen grain
 Pollination and Fertilization
Flower bud initiation, flowering, anthesis and stigma receptivity are influenced by
genotype and climatic factors like temperature and humidity. From studies made on six okra
varieties concluded that flower buds are initiated at 22-26 days and the first flower opened 41-
48 days after sowing. Once initiated, flowering continues for 40-60 days. Anthesis was
observed between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Anthers dehisce before flower opening and hence self-
pollination may occur at anthesis. The dehiscence of anthers is transverse and complete
dehiscence occurs in 5-10 minutes (Purewal and Randhawa, 1947). Pollen fertility is
maximum in the period between an hour before and an hour after opening of the flower
(Srivastava, 1964). Pollen stored for 24 hours at room temperature (27° C) and 88% relative
humidity was not viable. The stigma was most receptive on the day of flowering (90-100%).
Stigma receptivity was also observed the day before flowering (50-70%) and the day after (1-
15%). Flowers open only once in the morning and close after pollination on the same day. The
following morning the corolla withers.
 Okra has perfect flowers (male and female reproductive parts in the same flower) and
is self-pollinating. If okra flowers are bagged to exclude pollinators, 100% of the flowers
will set seed. It has been found experimentally that there is no significant difference in fruit
set under open-pollinated, self-pollinated (by bagging alone) and self-pollinated (hand
pollination of bagged flowers), indicating that it is potentially a self-pollinated crop. The
inbreeding depression well pronounced in cross-pollinated crops has not been reported in
this crop
Although insects are unnecessary for pollination and fertilization in case of okra, the
flowers are very attractive to bees and the plants are cross-pollinated. The cross pollination
up to the extent of 4-19% with maximum of 42.2% has been reported. The extent of cross-
pollination in a particular place will depend upon the cultivar, competitive flora, insect
population and season, etc.
 Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
 

Cucumber is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant

in the Cucurbitaceae gourd family that bears cucumiform
fruits, which are used as vegetables. There are three main
varieties of cucumber—slicing, pickling, and
burpless/seedless—within which several cultivars have
been created. 
Scientific name: Cucumis sativus
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Higher classification: Cucumis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Cucurbitales
Rank: Species
Growth and Development
Cucumis sativus is climber growing up to 2 m. The fruit is roughly cylindrical, elongated with tapered
ends, and may be as large as 60 cm long and 10 cm in diameter. At optimal temperature conditions it needs
6–8 weeks from sowing to the production of the first flowers and 8–10 weeks for the development of the
first fruits.

The changes in morphology during dark germination and subsequent growth of cucumber (Cucumis
sativus) seedlings in the light go through three different phases described as latent, active, and steady-state.
This pattern is consistently observed for several related developmental processes. The latent period lasts
about 2 days following water imbibition after which the following capabilities appear in concert: (a) root
and stem elongation, (b) pigment synthesis including protochlorophyll, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and
phytochrome, (c) synthesis of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and (d) enhancement of
greening by excision. Following the active phase, which lasts for another 2 to 3 days, these processes slow
to a steady-state. Inhibition of chlorphyll accumulation by SO 2 was only observed for seedlings in the
steady-state phase.
 Cucumbers appear at the center of each fertilized female flower as tiny green finger-like
projections that enlarge almost daily as production progresses. It takes roughly 50 days
from pollination for cucumbers to be ready to pick. It is grown as an annual, which means
that the plant does not regenerate after the growing season. Once it has lived out its life span
of roughly 70 days, the plant dies and cannot be regrown.
 Floral Biology
Cucumis sativus is an annual plant species and is considered to be day-neutral. At optimal
temperature conditions it needs 6–8 weeks from sowing to the production of the first flowers
and 8–10 weeks for the development of the first fruits. For breeding purposes, in a greenhouse
under optimal temperature conditions and artificial illumination during winter, three generations
per year can be produced.
Thus, there are three different flower types in cucumber: pistillate, staminate and
hermaphroditic flowers. An embryonic flower bud has both staminate and pistillate initials. Due
to the effect of genetic factors and environmental conditions, development of staminate or
pistillate flower organs may be either selective, resulting in staminate or pistillate flower types,
or non-selective, resulting in hermaphroditic flowers.
 The flowers are formed in the leaf axils on extremely short axillary shoots. In
one axillary position, multiple staminate flowers often occur, whereas pistillate
flowers usually appear singly. Occasionally, staminate and pistillate flowers both
develop in one leaf axil. The recessive gene controls the formation of multiple
pistillate flowers.
Pollination and Fertilization
The calyx and corolla of staminate, pistillate and hermaphroditic flowers are five-
lobed. The staminate flowers have three stamens two have bilobular anthers and the third has
one another. The pistillate flowers contain up to five stigmas. The differences between the
staminate flowers of the different varieties are small. The ovaries of the pistillate flowers,
however, can noticeably differ from each other in shape, size, presence or absence of warts,
spines, etc., corresponding to the external characters of the ripened fruit. Pistillate flowers are
epigynous. Hermaphroditic flowers are usually perigynous, but may vary between almost
hypogynous and almost epigynous. The variation is especially large in hermaphroditic
flowers forming after silver nitrate treatment of female lines. Fruits of hermaphroditic flowers,
i.e., of perigynous flowers, are more round than the fruits of epigynous flowers.
Staminate, pistillate and hermaphroditic flowers can easily be distinguished from each
other visually. The staminate flowers can be recognized by their thin pedicles. Since
hermaphroditic flowers must offer room for anthers as well as pistil , their column at the top of
the ovary is enlarged in comparison with the pistillate flowers and can therefore easily be
distinguished from them.
 
 Cucumber is open-pollinated and self-compatible. All flower types produce nectar and
effuse a faint smell. Pollination is by insects, mainly bees. There is no wind dissemination of
pollen. In greenhouses proof against insects and other natural pollen vectors, crossings are
carried out by carefully dabbing anthers taken from a fully opened staminate or hermaphroditic
flower to the stigma of an opening pistillate flower, using tweezers. An anther can also be
carefully inserted into the opening in the middle of the stigma and left there. Tweezers need not
be used if the petals of a staminate flower of the male parent are removed, the flower held by
the pedicle with thumb and forefinger and carefully dabbed to the stigma of the pistillate
flower.
 
 Tomato (Solanum
lycopersicum)
 

The tomato is the edible berry of the plant

Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a
tomato plant. The species originated in western
South America and Central America. The Nahuatl
word tomcat gave rise to the Spanish word tomate,
from which the English word tomato derived.
Scientific name: Solanum lycopersicum
Family: Solanaceae
Higher classification: Nightshade
Rank: Species
Order: Solanales
 
Growth and Development
Tomato plants are generally much branched, spreading 60–180 cm (24–72 inches) and
somewhat trailing when fruiting, but a few forms are compact and upright. Leaves are more or
less hairy, strongly odorous, pinnately compound, and up to 45 cm (18 inches) long. The five
petaled flowers are yellow, 2 cm (0.8 inch) across, pendant, and clustered.
Fruits are berries that vary in diameter from 1.5 to 7.5 cm (0.6 to 3 inches) or more. They are
usually red, scarlet, or yellow, though green and purple varieties do exist, and they vary in
shape from almost spherical to oval and elongate to pear-shaped. Each fruit contains at least
two cells of small seeds surrounded by jellylike pulp.
 The plant requires relatively warm weather and much sunlight; it is grown chiefly in
hothouses in cooler climates. Tomatoes are usually staked, tied, or caged to keep the stems
and fruits off the ground, and consistent watering is necessary to avoid blossom-end rot and
cracking of the fruits. The plants are susceptible to a number of pests and diseases, including
bacterial wilt, early blight, mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, nematodes, and tomato hornworms.
Many of these problems can be controlled with crop rotation, the use
of fungicides and pesticides, and the planting of resistant varieties. The tiny currant tomato is
a closely related species and has been used by breeders to hybridize several pests- and
disease-resistant tomato varieties. A Tomato plant can live for 6 Months. Starting from seed
to flowering and then dying, 6-8 months is the complete life cycle of a tomato plant.
According to biology, A tomato is a soft stem perennial fruiting plant. this definition makes it
clear that tomato plants can live for several years if kept safe.
Floral biology
Tomato flowers are perfect, regular and hypogynous and are
borne on inflorescences that may be either determinate (cymose) or indeterminate
(racemose), depending on the species. The flower is connected to the axis by a pedicel
that includes the abscission point. The first flower appears when the plant has three leaves
and, frequently, the first and the last bud of an inflorescence are aborted. The number of flowers
produced by an inflorescence is dependent upon environmental
factors. A plant growing at 16°C produces four times more flowers than a plant growing.
at 24°C. Temperatures below 10°C, or less than 12 hours of light, reduce yield by causing
premature flower abscission. As flowers form sequentially, buds, flowers and fruits can
co-exist in an inflorescence. The flowers are yellow and generally less
than 2.5 cm in diameter when in full bloom. They possess four helically arranged whorls
of organs; green sepals form the outer whorl or calyx, at least five yellow petals are
present in the corolla, stamens alternate with petal position and are fused to form an
anther cone and a whorl of two or more fused carpels form the pistil at the center of the
flower. The number of carpels found in the pistil varies between species and relates to the
number of locules present in the resulting fruit.
Fertilization and Pollination
For some varieties, flowers have the style shorter than the tip of the anther cone,
while for other varieties the style is longer than the anther cone. The stigma is receptive
from one to two days before to four to eight days after its own flower releases pollen, thus
cross-pollination is possible. The first meiosis during pollen production occurs when the
anthers reach one-third of their final length. The optimal temperature range for pollen
production is 10-35°C and the number of pollen grains formed in an anther is genetically
determined. Anther dehiscence delivers thousands of pollen grains into the channel formed
by the hairs. However, as anthers release pollen inwardly towards the style, vibration
assisted self-pollination is usual, especially in short-style varieties. In long-style varieties,
the downward posture of the flower allows self-pollination by gravity. The anther cone
releases pollen around the stigma at the slightest vibration. Wind and insects provide the
vibrating action necessary for self-pollination under field conditions. Under greenhouse
conditions, mechanical vibrating devices or insects are used. Optimal conditions for
pollination are temperatures of 17-24°C and humidity above 70%. High humidity and low
temperatures favour outcrossing
Thank you!