Factors Influencing Date Pollen Viability

Pollen of seven date cultivars was stored at 4.5 -5.0'C using desiccator with or without silica gel and in vials outside the desicator as a control. Germination percentage was determined microscopically with a hemacytometer after harvest and at three and six months of Storage, respectively, usi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: M. O. El Mardi, E. Consolacion, O. AI-Manthari, H. AI-Nabhani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sultan Qaboos University 1997-01-01
Series:Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.squ.edu.om/index.php/jams/article/view/503
Description
Summary:Pollen of seven date cultivars was stored at 4.5 -5.0'C using desiccator with or without silica gel and in vials outside the desicator as a control. Germination percentage was determined microscopically with a hemacytometer after harvest and at three and six months of Storage, respectively, using a boric acid-sucrosce medium. Cultivar genotype did out influence the viability of pollen. Pollen stored for six months gave a higher germination percentage (45.9%) than three months (40.9%) indicating that pollen requires more than three months at 4.5 - 5C for the reactivation or its growth factors. An increase in relative humidity in storage containers resulted in reduced germination profiles. Germination percentages were 62.2, 42.9 and 22.79% at 18. 55 and over 55 relative humidity, respectively. Pollen stored in desiccator with and without silica gel gave a higher germination profile after six months than at three months storage whereas the control gave the lowest. The highest germination percentage was observed in pollen kept in a desiccator in the presence of silica gel for six months.
ISSN:2410-1060
2410-1079