BREEDING AND MATING SYSTEMS OF AUSTRALIAN PROTEACEAE

There has been a significant increase in the number of studies investi gating plant breeding and mating systems over the past 10 years. The f amily Proteaceae, in particular, has dominated such research conducted in Australia. Thus it is now timely to present a critical review of t he breeding and mating systems of the Australian Proteaceae. It is hop ed that this will stimulate further research. The review covers key ev ents between pollen deposition on stigmas through to fruit set. The ge nus Banksia, although not the most diverse of the family, has received a disproportionate amount of attention. It has featured in nine publi shed studies of self-compatibility compared to 13 studies spanning the other 45 genera and has featured in eight genetic studies of the mati ng system compared to just two on other genera. Few studies have asses sed the timing of stigma receptivity despite the intriguing situation in most Proteaceae of auto-deposition of self-pollen on or near stigma s at anthesis. Studies suggest that stigmas are not receptive until 0. 5-4 days after anthesis. Banksia species appear to show low levels of self-compatibility although one subspecies shows high levels of selfin g and evidence of selective fruit development. Self-compatibility may be more common in other genera, although a dearth of studies precludes generalisation. Assessment of mating systems indicates almost complet e outcrossing for most species, lending support to the idea of selecti ve fruit development. It is clear that many further studies of all top ics are required but particularly across a wide range of genera becaus e many have not been studied at all.