ER Study of Pollen
1 MENT Germination
INTRODUCTION
1. Pollen grain or microspore is the first cell of male gametophyte.
2 The development of male gametophyte is precocious, i.e., it begins inside the micro- sporangium
or pollen sac.
3 The pollen grain is uninucleate in the beginning but at the time of liberation it becomes
2celled--a small generative cell and alarge tube or vegetative cell.
4 On the stigma, the pollen grain absorbs water and nutrients from the stigmatic secretion
through its germ pores.
5. The tube cell gives rise to a pollen tube. The generative cell also descends into the pollen tube
and divides into two male gametes.
EXPERIMENT 1.1
(www) Objective. To study the pollen germination on slide.
g gen
REQUIREMENTS
Fresh seasonal fowers, slide, coverslip, microscope, sucrose, boric acid, magnesium sulphate,
potassium nitrate, beakers etc.
PROCEDURE
1. Prepare a nutrient solution by dissolving 10 g sucrose, 10 g boric acid, 30 mg magnesium
sulphate and 20mg potassium nitrate in 100 ml of water.
2
Take afew drops of this solution on aclean slide, and dust a few pollen grains from the stamen
of a mature flower on it.
3. Observe the slide in the microscope after 5minutes and then observe it regularly for about half
an hour.
OBSERVATION
In nutrient medium, the pollen grain germinates. The tube cell enlarges and comes out of the
pollen grain through one of the germ pores to forma pollen tube. The tube nucleus descends to the tip
ot the pollen tube. The generative cell alsopasses into it. It s0on divides intotwo male gametes. Each
male gamete is lenticular to spherical in outline.
Comprekemscue Laboratory Manual in
22
Biology--XI|
Exine
Intine
Germ
pores
LPollen
tube
Tube nucleus
Male gametes
Fig. 1.1. Germinationof pollen grains.
PRECAUTIONS
1. Flowers should be freshly plucked.
2. Use dean slide toobserve the pollen grains.
VIVA VOCE
Q.1. What is the shape of apollen grain ?
Ans. It is commonly globular in outline, though several other shapes are also found.
Q,2. What is palynology ?
Ans. The study of pollen grains is called palynology.
Q3. What is the composition of wall of pollen grain ?
Ans. It is made up of two layers, outer exine and inner intine.
Q4. What is the chemical nature of the two layers of the wall of pollen grain ?
Ans. Intine is pecto-cellulosic in nature and exine is made of highly resistant fatty substance
called sporopollenin.
Q,5. What is tectum ?
Ans. It is the discontinuous surface layer of the exine of the pollen grain wall, which provides
characteristic sculpturing or designs over the surface of pollen grain.
Q6. What isthe importance of tectumtoa taxonomist ?
Ans. It can help a taxonomist to identifythe pollen grains and refer them to their family, genus or
species.
