Figure 1

Different patterns of flower opening, petal growth and anther dehiscence among peach varieties. (a) Four peach varieties were used in this study as representatives for showy, ‘VABM29’ and ‘Bounty’, and non-showy, ‘Glowing Star’ and ‘V85331’ flowers. Flowers and flower buds were collected in five stages based on the development of outer and inner floral organs, scale bar = 20 mm. (b) Anther dehiscence and pollen release were monitored in stage III of flower development. Micrographs show closed flowers with three petals removed from each flower to show the development of stamen, scale bar = 6 mm. Petal growth, represented as petal surface area (c) and anther dehiscence (%) (d) were recorded for the four peach varieties during four stages of flower development (n = 12).