Authors : Jayshree Thaware
Page Nos : 5-11
Description :
Horticulturists and plant breeders have long been interested in crossing varieties species and even genera to produce new and improved types of plants better suited to human requirements. The pollen being a hereditary component is predominant in crop production programs. The disharmony in the flowering of the parent plants and their separation by distance are among the several problems faced during hybridization. In such a situation, pollen storage is a tool in a hand of plant breeders to preserve the viability of pollen and using them as per their need. In the present study, the efficacy of organic solvents like Benzene, Isopropyl alcohol, Chloroform, Acetone and Xylene for storing pollen grains of Catharanthus, Allamanda, Datura, Brassica, Raphanus and Cleome was checked. All the plants have many medicinal uses also they have potent anticancer properties in common has been assessed and compared with pollen stored under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The results suggest that the use of organic solvents holds some promise only for short-term and not long-term storage. Xylene was not suitable for storing the pollen grains.
