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Comparisons among Pollen Viability Measurement Methods in Cotton¹

Methods for measuring pollen viability were compared to determine their relative value in evaluating cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) pollen. Pollen was treated at constant temperature of 30, 33, 35, 37, 40, and 43°C for 15 hours prior to anthesis. Treated and untreated pollen were evaluated using several common techniques. Pollen killed at the highest temperature (43°C) stained readily with a cytoplasmic stain indicating that stains of this type may determine pollen maturity, but not viability. Pollen treated at 33 to 40°C responded positively to vital staining and germinated both on artificial media and on the stigma while pollen treated at 43°C did not. However, pollen fertility (as measured by pollen tubes penetrating the lower style and ovules) was severely reduced at 33°C and absent at 35°C. The best available criterion for pollen fertility appears to be tube penetration into the lower style or ovules. Staining and pollen germination methods are not accurate indicators of pollen fertility in cotton.

Key Words: Pollen fertility • Pollen staining • Pollen germination • Pollen tube • Fertilization • Sterility

² Research geneticist, USDA-ARS, Cotton Breeding, Las Cruces, NM 88003.

Received for publication August 30, 1982.

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