The criteria of measurement of the inorganic acid test of pollen viability

The application of sulphuric acid to pollen causes the formation of protrusions of the vegetative cell from the germinative pores of pollen grains, and in aperturate pollen these protrusions resemble true pollen tubes. In this study, the sulphuric acid-induced pseudo pollen tubes of Petunia were examined to determine the criteria of measurement of this pollen viability testing procedure. The inorganic acid test of pollen viability does not differentiate between living and dead pollen grains, as was reported earlier, but measures the presence of the vegetative cell, bounded by an intact cell membrane. The procedure requires only low-magnification microscopy and takes a few seconds to perform, It is a simple, rapid, indirect microscopic test for the estimation of pollen viability in fresh pollen under field conditions. This procedure facilitates the obtaining of naked male gametophytes, and further development of the method may assist in the study of organelles and the internal structure of the pollen grain. Swaelsuurbehandelings van stuifmeel lei tot die vorming van uitstulpings van die vegetatiewe sel by die kiemopeninge en in aperturaat-stuifmeelkorrels toon hierdie uitstulpings ‘n morfologiese ooreenkoms met ware stuifmeelbuise. Swaelsuurgeïnduseerde pseudo-stuifmeelbuise is elektronmikroskopies ondersoek om die kriteria van meting van hierdie anorganiese suur-stuifmeeltoets te bepaal, Die toets onderskei nie. tussen lewende en dooie stuifmeelkorrels soos vroeër gerapporteer nie, maar meet wel die teenwoordigheid van die vegetatiewe sel, gebind deur ‘n intakte selmembraan. Die prosedure word binne enkele minute voltooi en kan teen lae vergroting waargeneem word, Dit bied dus ‘n eenvoudige, maklike, indirekte metode om stuifmeelkwaliteit onder veldtoestande te skat. Hierdie metode vir die verkryging van naakte manlike gametofiete kan met verdere ontwikkeling moontlikhede ihhou vir die studie van organelle en die interne struktuur van die stuifmeelkorrel.