Abstract: Electron microscopic and DNA fluorescence microscopic observations of the plastids, mitochondria and their DNA in the developing pollen of Phaseolus vulgaris L. have demonstrated that the male plastids were excluded during microspore mitosis. The formed generative cell was free of plastids because of regional localization of plastids in early developing microspore and the extremely unequal distribution during division. The fluorescence observations of DNA showed that cytoplasmic (plastid and mitochondria) nucleoids degenerated and disappeared during the development of microspore/pollen, and were never presented in the generative cell at different development stages. These results provided precise cytological evidence of maternal plastid inheritance in Phaseolus vulgaris, which was not in accord with the biparental plastid inheritance identified from early genetic analysis. Based on authors' previous observations in a variety of common bean that the organelle DNA of male gamete was completely degenerated, the early genetic finding of the biparental plastid inheritance was unlikely to be effected by genotypic difference. Thus those biparental plastid inheritance might be caused by occational male plastid transmission, and plastid uniparental maternal inheritance was the species character of Phaseolus vulgaris.

Key words: Phaseolus vulgaris, Plastid inheritance, Organelle DNA