Pollen viability in hybrid seed production of eggplant under tropical conditions
2003
Nascimento, W.M. | Torres, A.C. | Lima, L.B.
Eggplant has been cultivated in Brazil mainly using hybrid seeds. Some important physiological aspects must be taken in account in order to obtain both optimum eggplant F1-hybrid seed yield and genetic quality. In general, pollination is done in the morning using pollen harvested from fresh-open flowers on the same day. Sometimes it is necessary to store pollen for a certain period in order to proceed with pollination later and/or be sent to other places during hybrid seed production. This study was carried out in Brasilia, DF, during 2000, aiming to determine the viability of pollen of eggplant 'Ciça' during storage. Pollen was collected from the male line flowers by using a vibrator. Pollen was then stored in Eppendorf microtubes and placed in an aluminum container with silica gel, and kept under refrigeration (5°C). Flowers were manually pollinated using pollen from 0 to 60 days of storage, in ten-day intervals. Fertilization, seed production per fruit, seed weight, and germination were evaluated. Lower fertilization was observed in flowers pollinated with pollen stored for 30 or more days. Pollen stored for 50 and 60 days led to fruits with lower seed quality. For eggplant 'Ciça' at Brazilian conditions, it is advisable to store pollen up to 20 days in order to have high fertilization, optimum seed production, and higher seed quality.
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