Resumen

PENSIERO, José F.; GUTIERREZ, Hugo F.  y  EXNER, Eliana. Sistema de polinización y su efecto sobre la producción y el peso de semillas en nueve especies sudamericanas del género setaria. INCI [online]. 2005, vol.30, n.8, pp.495-500. ISSN 0378-1844.

Nine South American species of the genus Setaria were studied with the purpose to evaluate the pollination system and its effect on seed production and weight. Each one of the studied species was represented by a variable number of populations: for Setaria sulcata, S. fiebrigii and S. lachnea 2, 4 and 5 populations were analyzed, respectively; while S. leucopila, S. macrostachya, S. oblongata, S. pampeana, S. parviflora and S. vulpiseta were represented by one population each. The two pollination systems analyzed were the forced self-pollination by bagged inflorescences and the free pollination. The results obtained after comparing the production of seed of both treatments, suggest that S. fiebrigii, S. oblongata, S. pampeana, S. parviflora and S. vulpiseta are preferably allogamous species, while in S. lachnea, S. macrostachya, S. leucopila, and S. sulcata, autogamy was the dominant reproductive system. On the other hand, there is variability in the average weight of the seeds between species and between populations within the same species. With the exception of S. parviflora, the species here mentioned as preferably allogamous produced seeds with higher weight under free pollination. The high percentages of seed production found in the analyzed populations of S. lachnea, a species with forage value, encourage future work based on genetic improvement with the objective of introducing it to its culture.

Palabras clave : Peso de Semillas; Poaceae; Producción de Semillas; Setaria; Sistema de Polinización.