Background: Endoreduplication appears in numerous plant species and plays a vital role during ontogeny. The presence of polyploid cells in an otherwise diploid organism is tied specifically to the taxonomy, ecology and physiology of the studied specimen. Little is known about the changes in endopolyploidy levels of floral organs during their development. In order to uncover the workings of endoreduplication in polysomatic species, our study examines flowers of T. pratense in three ontogenetic stages by means of flow cytometry.
Results: Cultivar 'Manuela' is characterized by the presence of 2C-8C and 'Dajana' 2C-16C nuclei. In general, the frequencies of nuclei only slightly changed during development. Endopolyploidy levels represented by endoreduplication index (EI) in the 'Manuela' sepals and stamens showed statistical differences between young and old stages, other organs of both cultivars between stages are not statistically different. Significant differences between 'Manuela' and 'Dajana' cultivars were found only in sepals of I. stage, and in petals and carpels of III. stage. Cultivars showed a similar pattern of endopolyploidy. However, a considerable decrease in EI 'Manuela' petals and carpels at III. stage was detected as opposed to 'Dajana'. Overall, a higher endoreduplication index is distinctive for organs of the 'Dajana' cultivar.
Conclusions: In this study we prove the permanent presence of endopolyploid cells in the floral organs of T. pratense throughout their development.
Keywords: Endoreduplication; Flower ontogeny; Ploidy level; Trifolium pratense.