Click on image to view larger version.



Fig. 1. Growth of sorghum and alien species' pollen tubes in sorghum pistils stained with aniline blue and observed with fluorescent microscopy. (A) Sorghum pollen tubes in stigmas at 1 h post-pollination; (B) Sorghum pollen tubes that have grown into the ovary at 1 h post-pollination; (C) Germinated pollen grain of S. interjectum with a pollen tube that has not penetrated the stigma branch at 24 h post-pollination; (D) A germinated pollen grain of S. nitidum that grew in a convoluted fashion without entering the stigma branch at 24 h post-pollination; (E) Pollen tubes of S. ecarinatum in the stigma and style at 6 h post-pollination; (F) Stigma branches with an ungerminated pollen grain and a pollen tube of S. interjectum in the stigma branch at 24 h post-pollination; (G) Sorghum ecarinatum pollen tubes in the style and ovary at 24 h post-pollination; (H) Pollen tube of S. plumosum growing outside and parallel to the stigma branch; (I) Pollen tube of S. intrans that has grown out of and back into a stigma branch; (J) A pollen tube of S. interjectum in the stigma axis that reversed its direction and grew toward the apex of the stigma; (K) Pollen tube of S. purpureo-sericeum with a swollen tip; (L) Pollen tube of S. timorense terminating at accumulated callose in the stigma axis. Scale bars are 100 µm, except when designated otherwise.