Establishment of a long-term storage method for soft X-ray irradiated pollen in watermelon
2008
Akutsu, Masako | Sugiyama, Keita
A new method for preserving viable soft X-ray irradiated pollen for the production of seedless watermelons (Citrullus lanatus L.) from diploid plants was established by storing the pollen under N₂ at -25°C for 1 year. Pollen stored at 4°C had the ability to germinate until 28 days under all atmospheres tested except O₂. However, after storage at this temperature for 3 months it did not germinate in any treatment conditions. Pollen stored at -25°C for 1 year under N₂, CO₂ or under a vacuum had a germination rate of about 50%. Pollen stored in O₂ or in air had a much lower germination rate, less than 20% and 10%, respectively. Thus, it is important to store watermelon pollen at a low temperature when it is being stored for a long time. Nitrogen and CO₂ were effective in extending the life of watermelon pollen. On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that the viability of pollen was reduced by storage under O₂. The N₂ and CO₂ are thought to be effective because they are essentially inert to the living pollen. Also, a lot of pollen tubes were observed in a middle portion of an ovary pollinated with pollen stored at -25°C under N₂; however, pollen tubes were not observed in ovaries pollinated with pollen stored under a vacuum. It was revealed in 1 year storage experiments that viability of pollen stored under N₂ was higher than that stored under a vacuum. Seedless fruits produced with pollen stored at -25°C under N₂ had the same characteristics as the control fruit.
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