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(American Journal of Botany. 2001;88:1966-1976.)
© 2001 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Reproductive Biology

Reproductive biology of henequén (Agave fourcroydes) and its wild ancestor Agave Angustifolia (Agavaceae). i. Gametophyte development1

Nickolai M. Piven2, Felipe A. Barredo-Pool, Ileana C. Borges-Argáez, Miguel A. Herrera-Alamillo, Alberto Mayo-Mosqueda, José L. Herrera-Herrera and Manuel L. Robert

Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43, No. 130, Col. Chuburná de Hidalgo, CP 97200, Mérida, Yucatán, México

The pathways of micro- and megagametophyte development in Agave fourcroydes (henequén) and A. angustifolia were studied. We used histology and light microscopy to observe anther ontogeny and ovary differentiation in relation to flower bud size. Both species have the same sexual reproductive strategies and gametophyte development that may be divided into three phases: (1) premeiotic, which includes the establishment of the megaspore mother cell and the pollen mother cell; (2) meiotic, the formation of mature microspores and functional megaspores; (3) postmeiotic, which encompasses the development of mature pollen grains and the formation of the embryo sac. A successive type microsporogenesis was found in both species with formation of T-shaped tetrads and binuclear pollen grains. In vitro germination tests revealed very low pollen fertility. The female gametophyte is formed from two micropylar megaspore cells after the first meiotic division (bisporic type). Male and female gametogenesis occur asynchronously with microsporogenesis finishing before macrosporogenesis. The results so far show that the formation of male and female gametophytes in henequén is affected at different stages and that these alterations might be responsible for the low fertility shown by this species.

Key Words: Agavaceae • anther • embryo sac • henequén • megasporogenesis • microsporogenesis • ovule • pollen






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