In vitro germination and viability of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) pollen

Kedar. N. Adikari^1,2, and Clayton. G. Campbell³

¹ Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada R3T 2N2; ² Present address: Plant Sciences, faculty of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6907 Australia; ³ Agri-Food Diversification Centre, Morden, Manitoba, Canada R6M 1Y5

Kedar. N. Adikari, and Clayton. G. Campbell. 1998. In vitro germination and viability of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) pollen. Euphytica 102: 87-92.

Abstract: An in vitro method for germination of common buckwheat pollen was developed. Pollen grains were successfully germinated in an artificial medium consisting of 0.2 g each of Mn SO₄, Ca(NO₃)2.4 H₂O and KNO₃, 0.04 g H₃BO₃, 15 g sucrose and 30 g polyethylene glycol (molecular weight approximately 20,000) dissolved in 100 ml of double distilled water. The viability of pollen was assessed by in vivo and in vitro germination tests at 20° C and at 25° C over a 38 h time period. Pollen grains collected and germinated at 4 h intervals from freshly harvested flowers grown under 16 h day length and a constant temperature. Maximum pollen viability was found at 2 h and 6 h after first light when plants were maintained at 25° C and 20° C, respectively. Viability, as measured by germination percentage, was similar at both temperature regimes. Some pollen grains remained viable for approximately 34 to 38 h in intact flowers, but all pollen lost viability in less than and hour when stored at room temperature without humidity control.

Key words: Fagopyrum esculentum, pollen germination medium, pollen viability, pollination