The Impact of Extraction and Storage Conditions on the Viability of Radiata Pine Pollen

Abstract

The impact of extraction temperature, moisture content and storage temperature on in vitro pollen germination and tube growth, was determined in a sequence of experiments. Pollen extracted at 25°C, dried to 10% moisture content and stored in a refrigerator at 4°C for almost a year retained a germination level of 84%, compared with its level of 93% immediately after extraction. Pollen which was extracted or stored under conditions different from the above lost a greater amount of viability. There were significant interactions between extraction temperature, moisture content and type of storage: while pollen in less than optimal condition lost viability very rapidly under poor storage modalities, pollen extracted and dried as above was able to tolerate poor storage relatively well.