Ultrastructural aspects of the first postmeiotic mitosis and cytokinesis in the pollen grain ofallium cepal

Abstract

This report deals with research work on first pollen grain mitosis and the formation of vegetative and generative cells in Allium cepa L.The haploid nucleus of young microspores has a long interphase period which starts when the microspores begin to free themselves from the surrounding special callose wall and finishes when a central vacuole is formed in their cytoplasm. The pollen wall (Exine and Intine) is formed during this period.Before the mitosis, a large vacuole is formed in the cytoplasm. The microspore nucleus that previously occupied a central position in the cell can now be found in a lateral position generally on the opposite side of the porus. At this moment the nucleus enters prophase and the mitotic division takes place. This is characterized by the formation of an asymmetric spindle and as a result two unequal daughter cells are formed (Fig. 1) : the vegetative cell is larger and its nucleus remains near the centre of the pollen grain, whilst the generative cell is smaller and at the beginning lies close to the pollen wall (Fig. 2, 3).