The effects of high-temperature stress on the germination of pollen grains of upland cotton during square development

Abstract

The reproductive stage of flowering plants is sensitive to high-temperature stresses. High temperature is a major factor influencing pollen grain viability in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between cotton pollen germination percentage and temperature by assaying the pollen germination of four upland cotton cultivars in vitro at different temperatures during the blooming period. The results showed that in vitro pollen germination percentage was related to the culture temperature of pollen germination and the temperature of the square development process. High temperature affected pollen development and germination, and high-temperature tolerance differed among the cotton cultivars. The pollen germination percentage decreased rapidly with changes in the culture temperature from 30 to 39 °C. A culture temperature of 35 °C might be a critical temperature for the pollen viability transition and could be used to screen cotton cultivars that have pollen grains with high-temperature resistance. Before the high-temperature stage, cultivars with rates of decrease in the percentage of pollen germination of less than 41 % at 35 °C relative to the rates at 30 °C might be considered as high-temperature tolerance cultivars, and cultivars with rates of decrease in the percentage of pollen germination greater than 41 % might be considered as susceptible cultivars. The high-temperature stress for pollen grain germination in vitro was greater than 30 °C, and the high-temperature stress for square development might be greater than 33 °C. Boll retention was significant; it was positively correlated with the pollen germination percentage and negatively correlated with temperature during the high-temperature stage. This study provided a method for rapidly screening cultivars (lines) with high-temperature tolerance pollen in upland cotton breeding.