Morphological Variation in SP2 Impatiens balsamina Induced by Space Flight

Abstract: Morphological variation in SP2 Impatiens balsamina induced by space flight was investigated and it was found that most seedlings germinated from SP1 seeds possessed normal 2 cotyledons, but cotyledons in some SP2 seedlings rose up to 3 or 4.Occassionally, some seedlings showed confluent or cup-shaped cotyledons, and cotyledons in most seedlings displayed heterogeneous in size. Linear lanceolate leaves appeared in some SP2 plants. The meiotic behavior of pollen mother cells was observed abnormal in most SP2 plants and the further developed pollens were tested sterility. Various colors appeared in flowers of SP2 plants, and most flowers shrinked in size, meanwhile, petals rose in number. Some SP2 plants possessed only one main stem, without branches, however, branches in most plants rose, even up to above 40. The theoretical and practical significance of these varieties was discussed to breeding using aerospace flight induction.