Abstract
Pollen viability and stigma receptivity are prerequisites for successful cross-pollination and seed set in Swainsona formosa. In this study, the pollen viabilities and stigma receptivities was assayed by in vitro pollen germination and simple hand-pollination method on glasshouse-grown plants, respectively. The viability of pollen grains was tested under three different storage conditions: 1) pollen grains were left on the plant in the glasshouse under natural conditions, 2) pollen grains were harvested and kept at a low temperature (4 o C) in total darkness, and 3) pollen grains were kept in a dry freezer (-10 o C) and in total darkness. Meanwhile, stigma receptivity was determined by hand-pollination using fresh pollen grains on flower of glasshouse-grown plants at one day before anther dehiscence up to 8 days after anther dehiscence. The results showed that pollen grains could be stored at 4 o C for up to 28 days without significantly losing their viability. Pollen longevity could be extended beyond two months when stored at -10 o C and under dry conditions. These findings provided a simple and economically sound method for storage of S. formosa pollen. In addition, stigma receptivity was found to be receptive from one day before anther dehiscence and reached its peak within four days after anther dehiscence. These results provide a valuable background to the conventional breeding of this species to create hybrids through cross-pollination
Highlights
Cross-pollination technique in hybridisation has been practiced for many years in conventional plant breeding programs
This study consisted of three trials: 1) pollen grains were left on the plant in the glasshouse under natural conditions, 2) pollen grains were harvested and kept at a low temperature (4 oC) in total darkness, and 3) pollen grains were kept in a dry freezer (-10 oC) and in total darkness
The flower consists of five sepals and a five-part corolla that are typical to legumes
Summary
Cross-pollination technique in hybridisation has been practiced for many years in conventional plant breeding programs. The purpose is to transfer pollen from male reproductive organ of one individual to female reproductive organ of another individual Mangena and Mokwala (2018) This method requires either natural pollination by the assistance of birds, insects and wind, or artificially by hand-pollination. The success of either artificial or natural pollination depends greatly upon the readiness of both male and female reproductive organs to undergo fertilisation and subsequent zygote development. This is indicated by the viability of the pollen grains and the receptivity of the stigma. Pollen will not germinate until the cuticle is ruptured, even though the plant is fully selfcompatible (Shivanna and Owens, 1989). In Swainsona formosa, the presence of stigmatic cuticle has become an obstacle for the success of fertilization following pollination (Jusaitis, 1994)
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