Pollen performance and male fitness in an anemophilous, monoecious tree, Betula pendula

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 1284-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Päivi Pietarinen ◽  
Hanna-Leena Pasonen

Betula pendula Roth clones were examined to study the relationship between pollen grain size and pollen tube growth rate and pollen and seed performance. Two hypotheses were tested: (i) pollen donors with larger pollen grains have faster growing pollen tubes and (ii) maternal plants produce more seeds when inflorescences have been pollinated by pollen from donors with fast pollen tube growth. Pollen from 15 plants was collected, and pollen grain sizes and pollen tube growth rates were studied in vitro. Eight maternal clones were pollinated by pollen from seven paternal clones, pollen tube growth rates of the pollen donors were measured on each maternal plant, and the number and mass of the resulting seeds were analysed. There was no correlation between pollen grain size and pollen tube growth rate in vitro. Also, there was no relationship between pollen tube growth rate and the number of produced or aborted seeds. Thus, the hypothesis that larger pollen grains would have longer pollen tubes was not supported by the present study. The results of the present study do not support the idea that pollen donors with fast pollen tube growth should sire more and better seeds.Key words: Betula pendula, female choice, nonrandom abortion, pollen competition, sexual selection.

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Rafael Alves Rodrigues ◽  
Rayane Carneiro dos Santos ◽  
Silvia Nietsche ◽  
Maria Olívia Mercadante-Simões ◽  
Isabella Renata Gomes da Cunha ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The sugar apple is highly dependent on the pollination and fruit tree pollen performance is crucial for successful fertilization and fruit set. The objective of this study was to determine the cardinal temperatures for in vitro pollen grains germination and evaluate the effect of temperature on pollen tube growth of sugar apple. The experimental design was in a completely randomized with eight treatments (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 ºC), four replicates and each plot was constituted by two slides per parcel. The cardinal temperatures were determined by evaluating in vitro germination of pollen grains and pollen tube growth in standard culture medium. It also assessed the pollen tube growth and the percentage of germination in vitro depending on the type of pollen grain arrangement (monad, dyad, triad and tetrad). In vitro germination of pollen grains and pollen tube growth varied significantly with temperature. The maximum germination recorded (48.13%) and the maximum lengths of pollen tubes (536.45 μm) were obtained when pollen grains were cultivated at 25 ºC. The estimated cardinal temperatures were 9.7, 26.9 and 44.2 ºC. Among the pollen grain arrangements, tetrads pollen grains were observed in higher proportions, however, monads pollen grains presented higher germination percentage.


2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Śnieżko

Flowers of <em>Oenothera hookeri</em> Torr. et Gray, <em>Oe. brevistylis</em> and <em>Oe. lamarkiana</em> de Vries were pollinated after anthesis by insects. <em>Oe. biennis</em> L., <em>Oe. suaveolens</em> Desf and sulfurea were selfpollinated in the buds. Pollen morphology was slightly different: <em>Oe. hookeri</em> have regular, triporated pollen, often germinating through two pores; in <em>Oe. suaveolens</em> many pollen grains had callose patches on the intine; in <em>Oe. brevistylis</em> tetraporated pollen were more often than in other species; in <em>Oe. lamarckiana</em> many pollen grains were empty; in <em>Oe. biennis</em> and <em>Oe. suaveolens</em> pollen grain size and viability varied. The pollen tube growth and fertilization were similar in 5 species and can be considered as typical for <em>Oenothera</em>. In the ovary pollen tubes branched and changed their growth direction. Near micropyle they formed short branches to the inner integument. In the nucellus the pollen tube became swollen.


2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 101-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Śnieżko ◽  
Krystyna Winiarczyk

After selfpollination of <em>Sinapis alba</em> L. pollen tubes growth is inhibited on the stigma. The pollen grains germinate 3-4 hours after pollination. The pollen give rise to one or more pollen tubes. They grow along the papillae. In the place of contact between the papilla and pollen tube the pellicula is digested. Then the direction of pollen tube growth changes completely. Pollen tubes grow back on the exine of their own pollen grain, or turn into the air. The pollen tubes growth was inhibited in 6-8 hours after selfpollination. After crosspollination usually there is no incompatibility reaction.


Plant Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 286 ◽  
pp. 108-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Hu ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Dimitra A. Loka ◽  
Rizwan Zahoor ◽  
Shanshan Wang ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (No. 8) ◽  
pp. 368-375
Author(s):  
Tejaswini

Present study focuses on making best possible use of male gametophytic generation in carnation breeding program. Exploration of pollen population revealed the existence of variability in terms of pollen morphology and histochemical content among as well as within varieties and species of Dianthus caryophyllus and D. chinensis sufficient to make selection. Pollen grain size and histochemical content were found to be associated with germination capacity and pollen tube growth rate. In addition, pollen germination capacity and elongation of pollen tube in response to presence of culture filtrate from F. oxysporum. f.sp. dianthi causal organism of fusarium wilt in carnation was found to be governed by pollen grain size and histochemical content of pollen grains. Entire result suggests the possibility of selecting the desired pollen grains from a&nbsp;pollen population and possibility of attempting selective pollination in carnation breeding program.


2016 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
pp. 548-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candace N. DeLong ◽  
Keith S. Yoder ◽  
Leon Combs ◽  
Richard E. Veilleux ◽  
Gregory M. Peck

A greater understanding of apple (Malus ×domestica) pollen tube growth rates can improve crop load management in commercial orchards. Specifically, applications of caustic bloom-thinning chemicals need to occur when enough, but not too many, flowers have been fertilized to achieve crop load densities that balance yields with marketable fruit sizes. In this study, the pollen tube growth rates of five crabapple (Malus sp.) cultivars were measured in the styles of three maternal cultivars at 12, 18, 24, and 30 °C after 24 hours in a growth chamber. Pollen tube growth rates were greatest for ‘Selkirk’ and ‘Thunderchild’ at 12 °C, and greatest for ‘Indian Summer’, ‘Selkirk’, and ‘Thunderchild’ at 24 °C. Pollen tube growth increased with increasing temperatures until 24 °C. There were minimal pollen tube growth rate increases between 24 and 30 °C. Overall, ‘Snowdrift’ had the slowest pollen tube growth rate of the five evaluated crabapple genotypes. At 24 and 30 °C, ‘Indian Summer’ and ‘Thunderchild’ pollen tubes reached the base of the style most frequently, and ‘Snowdrift’ pollen tubes the least frequently. Pollen tube growth rate was also influenced by the maternal cultivar, with Golden Delicious having relatively faster pollen tube growth than Fuji at 24 and 30 °C. Interactions among paternal and maternal genotypes as well as temperature after pollination reveal complex biological and environmental relationships that can be used to develop more precise crop load management strategies for apple orchards.


1999 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. PASONEN ◽  
P. PULKKINEN ◽  
M. KÄPYLÄ ◽  
A. BLOM

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Pfahler

Pollen grains from six single cross hybrids (Wf9 × H55, Wf9 × H50, H49 × H55, H49 × H50, Ky49 × Ky27, and K64 × K55) of Zea mays L. were cultured on an artificial medium containing 15% sucrose and 0.6% bacto-agar supplemented with all possible combinations of two levels (0.00 and 0.03%) of calcium nitrate (Ca) and two levels (0.00 and 0.01%) of boric acid (B). The effect of Ca and B on germination percentage was found to be dependent on the genetic source of the pollen. At the 0.00% levels of Ca and B, the germination percentage of the hybrids ranged from 26.6% for Ky49 × Ky27 to 58.1% for K64 × K55. With either Ky49 × Ky27 or K64 × K55 pollen, the addition of Ca and B to the medium resulted in a lower germination percentage whereas the addition of Ca and B increased the germination percentage of the other hybrids. The addition of B in the absence of Ca sharply reduced the germination percentage in all hybrids while in the presence of Ca, the effect of B varied with the hybrid involved. For pollen tube length, highly significant interactions between hybrids and levels of Ca and B were found. However, maximum pollen tube lengths were obtained for all hybrids with both Ca and B in the medium. The addition of B in the absence of Ca reduced the pollen tube length of all hybrids whereas the addition of B in the presence of Ca increased pollen tube length. In general, the addition of both Ca and B increased the rate of pollen tube growth especially in the period 2 to 3 hours after inoculation.


Author(s):  
Heidi Pertl-Obermeyer ◽  
Ana Gimeno ◽  
Verena Kuchler ◽  
Evrim Servili ◽  
Shuai Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract Pollen grains transport the sperm cells through the style tissue via a fast-growing pollen tube to the ovaries where fertilization takes place. Pollen tube growth requires a precisely regulated network of cellular as well as molecular events including the activity of the plasma membrane H+ ATPase, which is known to be regulated by reversible protein phosphorylation and subsequent binding of 14-3-3 isoforms. Immunodetection of the phosphorylated penultimate threonine residue of the pollen plasma membrane H+ ATPase (LilHA1) of Lilium longiflorum pollen revealed a sudden increase in phosphorylation with the start of pollen tube growth. In addition to phosphorylation, pH modulated the binding of 14-3-3 isoforms to the regulatory domain of the H+ ATPase, whereas metabolic components had only small effects on 14-3-3 binding, as tested with in vitro assays using recombinant 14-3-3 isoforms and phosphomimicking substitutions of the threonine residue. Consequently, local H+ influxes and effluxes as well as pH gradients in the pollen tube tip are generated by localized regulation of the H+ ATPase activity rather than by heterogeneous localized distribution in the plasma membrane.


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