Pollinate to Suppress: Sterile Pollen and Certation Effects in Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri)

Abstract

The sterile pollen technique, which involves applying X-ray irradiated pollen to female plants, has shown promising results in reducing seed production in dioecious Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.). However, field-scale implementation of this method requires a carrier for pollen delivery, as applying pure pollen on a large scale is not practical. Additionally, variability in flowering time within and among individual plants may impact the techniques effectiveness. Mass pollination may also lead to a female-biased sex ratio in the progeny, a phenomenon known as certation. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to: (1) identify a suitable dry (inert) diluent and the most effective pollen-to-diluent ratio for large-scale application, and (2) determine the most effective combination of initiation time, frequency, and number of sterile pollen applications, and 3) test for evidence of certation in A. palmeri. Plants were grown in the greenhouse in summer 2021. Sterilized pollen irradiated at 300 Gy was mixed with talc or wheat powder flour, respectively, at six v/v ratios (pollen%/powder%) of 0/100 (powder alone), 5/95, 10/90, 25/75, 50/50, or 100/0 (pure irradiated pollen). An equal amount of the pollen-diluent powder mixture was then brushed onto the standardized lengths of inflorescence of receptive female plants. Flower and seed number on each inflorescence was counted and used to calculate seed set in each treatment. The findings showed that a minimum of 25% irradiated pollen in the mixture, either with talc powder or wheat flour, can effectively reduce seed set in A. palmeri. Building on this, a second round of greenhouse experiments was conducted in fall 2021, where female plants were pollinated with a 25% irradiated pollen and talc powder mixture using a powder duster. Pollination treatments were initiated at different times after anthesis (7, 14, and 21 days), and the number of applications varied (once, twice, or three times) with intervals of one, two, or three weeks between applications. The greatest reduction in seed output was achieved when sterile pollen application began seven days after anthesis and was repeated three times at 7-day intervals. Evidence of certation was also observed in A. palmeri, with the progeny of mass-pollinated females showing a higher female ratio (58%) compared to the open-pollinated population (47%). Mass pollination also led to a slight, though not statistically significant, reduction in plant size traits such as height and number of branches, providing an additional potential benefit of the sterile pollen technique.