对野生和栽培盾叶薯蓣(Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright)的性别特征及变异状况进行了观察,并对栽培盾叶薯蓣母根状茎和子根状茎萌发植株的性别特征进行了比较。 观察结果显示,在湖北武当山 6 个样地 717 株野生盾叶薯蓣中共有 155 株开花植株,其中雌株、雄株和雌雄同株分别有 60、94 和 1 株,雌雄株比例 1︰1 ~ 1︰3,平均雌雄株比例 1︰1. 57,每个根状茎一般具有 1 支缠绕茎。 2004 年至 2006 年的观察结果显示,2004 年 153 株栽培盾叶薯蓣基株中雄株、雌株和雌雄同株分别有 78、62 和 13 株;2005 年存活的基株中雌株和雄株数量明显减少,雌雄同株数量大幅增加,雄株、雌株和雌雄同株分别有 35、19 和 88 株;2006 年成活的 137 株基株中有 80 株开花,其中雄株、雌株和雌雄同株分别有38、9 和33 株,雌株和雌雄同株数量大幅下降。 随栽培年限的增加,每个基株的缠绕茎数由1 ~ 2 支增加至 5 ~ 6 支。 栽培过程中盾叶薯蓣的性别有较大幅度变异,雄株和雌株多数转变为雌雄同株,反向转变却较少,雄株和雌株间相互转变也较少。 2005 年存活并开花的基株中共有 100 株发生变异,在 2006 年有 13 株返变回原性别,有 26 株保持了 2005 年变异的性别,有 11 株变异为另一种性别;雄株、雌株和雌雄同株 3 年的总变异率分别达到 80. 77% 、100. 00% 和 46. 14% 。 子根状茎萌发植株的性别与母根状茎有较大差异,总变异率达到约50% ,其中母根状茎为雄性的其子根状茎萌发植株的性别总变异率最高(59. 09% )。 研究结果表明,野生盾叶薯蓣可能以有性繁殖为主要繁殖方式,性系统简单清晰;栽培盾叶薯蓣复杂的性系统及大幅度的性别变异可能是由外部环境因子的影响造成的。

The sex character and variation status of wild and cultivated Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright were observed, and the sex characters of plants germinated from parent and progeny rhizomes of cultivated D. zingiberensis were compared. The observation results show that there are 155 flowering plants including 60 gynoecy, 94 androecy and 1 monoecy in 717 investigated wild plants of D. zingiberensis in six plots of Wudang Mountain of Hubei Province, in which, the ratio of gynoecy to androecy is 1︰1-1︰3, and the average ratio of gynoecy to androecy is 1︰1. 57. And generally, there is one twining stem per rhizome. The observation results from 2004 to 2006 reveal that there are 78 androecy, 62 gynoecy and 13 monoecy in 153 cultivated genets in 2004. In 2005, the number of gynoecy and androecy in survival genets reduces obviously while the monoecy number increases greatly, and there are 35 androecy, 19 gynoecy and 88 monoecy, respectively. In 2006, there are 80 flowering genets including 38 androecy, 9 gynoecy and 33 monoecy in 137 survival genets, and the number of gynoecy and monoecy genets decreases greatly. The twining stem number per rhizome increases from 1 - 2 to 5 - 6 with prolonging of  cultivation time. It is found that the sexual type of cultivated D. zingiberensis varies greatly during cultivation process, and most of androecy or gynoecy change into monoecy, while the opposite change is much less and changes of each other between androecy and gynoecy are infrequent. There are 100 variant genets in survival and flowering genets in 2005, and in 2006, 13 genets turn back to initial sexual type, 26 genets keep to the sexual type like that in 2005 and 11 genets change to another sexual type, the total variation rate of androecy, gynoecy and monoecy in three years is 80. 77% , 100. 00% and 46. 14% , respectively. The sexual type of plants germinated from progeny rhizomes is greatly different to that of their parent rhizomes with the total variation rate about 50% , in which, the total variation rate of sexual type of progeny rhizome originated from androecy parent rhizome is the highest (59. 09% ). It’ s suggested that sexual reproduction may be the dominant reproduction way for wild D. zingiberensis with simple and clear sex system. The complex sex system and great variation of sexual type of cultivated D. zingiberensis may be caused by influence of external factors.