Foreign Pollination of the Stigma of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb.] Matsum and Nakai)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effect of foreign pollen on the stigma of watermelon (C. lanatus [Thunb.] Matsum and Nakai) was studied by light microscopy and EM. Pollen of 14 of 15 [Citrullus lanatus, Cucurbita pepo, C. maxima, Cucumis sativus, Psidium guajava, P. littorale, Capsicum annuum, Lycopersicon esculentum, Pisum sativum, Phaseolus vulgaris, Macadamia integrifolia, Persea americana, Mangifera indica, Raphanus sativus and Zea mays] tested species germinated on the stigma, and pollen tubes of 8 spp. penetrated the style. Only watermelon pollen tubes reached the ovary. Pollen of all species stimulated stigma secretion, irrespective of germination capacity. Secretion was also stimulated by dead watermelon pollen, live yeast cells and fixed [chicken] red blood cells, but not by glass fragments. Prior foreign pollination did not affect germination or pollen-tube growth of subsequently applied watermelon pollen which produced fruit set. Foreign pollination did not result in fruit set, but stimulated the same sequence of papilla-cell senescence as watermelon pollen. Evidently, the processes of stigma secretion and papilla-cell death in response to pollination do not control the growth of foreign pollen on the watermelon stigma.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: