A preliminary study of the pollen of Mangifera indica L. cv. Haden in South Africa

Abstract

The effect of temperature and light intensity on the dehiscence of anthers of Mangifera indica L. cv. Haden and on the in vitro germination, stainability and viability of mango pollen grains was studied. Pollen of two mango cultivars grown in South Africa was compared, viz. Haden, a shy bearer, and Sensation, a prolific cultivar. Temperature had a marked effect on the tempo of anther dehiscence, irrespective of the light intensity. A 30% sucrose solution yielded the highest mean percentage germination and pollen tube length in both cultivars. The percentage aborted pollen was 31,3% in Haden and 24,5% in Sensation. Pollen from anthers at the moment of dehiscence showed the highest percentage viability of 56,1% in Haden and 81,1% in Sensation.