dc.description.abstract | Self-incompatibility presents one of the challenges in modern fruit production. It can be correlated
with a lower yield of self-incompatible cultivars which also demand the planting of the pollinisers. The aim of
this work was to investigate the phenomenon of incompatibility and its influence on fertilization success in
quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.), using the cultivars ‘Leskovacka’, ‘Vranjska’, ‘Morava’, ‘Pazardzijska’, ‘Hemus’,
‘Asenica’, ‘Portugal’ and ‘Triumph’. Incompatible pollen tubes were determined by using fluorescence
microscopy. In two types of pollination (self-pollination and open pollination) pollen tubes showed signs of
incompatibility, mostly in the upper third of the style. The most common sign of incompatibility is the
formation of swelling at the tip of a pollen tube. Also, sometimes twisted, bifurcated, and short and thickened
pollen tubes along their entire length are formed. The incompatibility was significantly more pronounced in
the self-pollination than in the open pollination variant in all tested cultivars. The highest number of
incompatible pollen tubes in both pollination types was present in the cultivar ‘Pazardzijska’, while the lowest
number was present in the cultivars ‘Leskovacka’ and ‘Vranjska’. The appearance of incompatibility affected
the degree of fertilization in quince. The results showed that only ‘Leskovacka’ and ‘Vranjska’ are selfcompatible, while other studied cultivars (‘Morava’, ‘Pazardzijska’, ‘Hemus’, ‘Asenica’, ‘Portugal’ and
‘Triumph’) are self-incompatible. The results provide a good background for the future research of
reproductive biology and also for adequate management of the quince orchards. | |