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Characteristics of the Stigma of Chickpea¹

Breeding advancements in the chickpea, Cicer arietinum L. have been hampered by limited success in cross-pollination attempts. This study was undertaken to examine the characteristics of the stigma microscopically and histochemically to determine the period of maximum receptivity. The high degree of self-pollination in the chickpea is attributed to the fact that flowers are autogamous and that only certain papillate cells of the stigma are specialized to receive pollen when it is shed prior to full flower bloom. During the white bud stage, such specialized cells produce a localized secretion which reacts positively to an esterase test. This test detects stigmatic surface proteins which are believed to be functionally important in the retention and hydration of pollen grains and, possibly indicates the site of the stigma-pollen compatibility reaction. These observations suggest that the low success rate of artificial hybridizations in chick-pea may be related to the timing of stigma receptivity and to the limited number of cells on the stigmatic surface which appear to be receptive to pollen. Functional specialization of stigmatic cells has not been reported in other legumes, and may be unique among crop plants.

Key Words: Cicer arietinum L. • Garbanzo bean • Hybridization • Stigmatic secretion • Esterase activity • Scanning electron microscope

² Postgraduate research associate; postdoctoral fellow; and professor, respectively, Dep. of Agronomy and Range Science, Univ. of California, Davis, CA 95616.

Received for publication January 31, 1983.