Lack of visible post-pollination effects in pollen grains of two Dendrobium cultivars: relationship with pollinia ACC, pollen germination, and pollen tube growth
Kanjana Luangsuwalai A , Saichol Ketsa A C , Apinya Wisutiamonkul A and Wouter G. van Doorn BA Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
B Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 17, Wageningen 6700 AA, The Netherlands.
C Corresponding author. Email: agrsck@ku.ac.th
Functional Plant Biology 35(2) 152-158 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP07245
Submitted: 19 October 2007 Accepted: 16 January 2008 Published: 19 March 2008
Abstract
Dendrobium flowers, pollinated with pollinia from individuals of the same cultivar or other cultivars, usually show rapid post-pollination effects such as floral epinasty, a change in flower colour and early perianth senescence. However, pollination with the pollinia of cv. Karen or cv. Kenny flowers did not produce these effects. We compared these two cultivars with cvv. Pompadour, Willie and Sakura, and tested the hypotheses that the differences were related to levels of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the pollinia, ethylene production by the pollinated flower, pollen germination, or pollen tube growth. The pollinia of cvv. Karen and Kenny contained as much ACC as the pollinia of cv. Pompadour, but less than the pollinia of cvv. Willie and Sakura. Ethylene production after pollination with cvv. Karen and Kenny pollinia was much lower than after pollination with pollinia from the other cultivars tested. The pollen grains showed normal germination, but cvv. Karen and Kenny pollen grains exhibited much less tube growth than those of the other cultivars. Pollen tube growth in cv. Pompadour was positively affected by ethylene. Ethylene was required and sufficient for the induction of epinasty, rapid perianth colour changes and early perianth senescence, very similar to the changes after pollination. The absence of these effects after pollination with cvv. Kenny and Karen seems to be due to the low ethylene production induced by the pollinia of these cultivars. This low ethylene production could not be accounted for by the ACC content in the pollinia of cvv. Kenny and Karen.
Additional keywords: epinasty, ethylene, orchid, petal colour, petal senescence, pollination.
Acknowledgements
The research was financially supported by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) and by the Postgraduate Education and Research Development Project in Postharvest Technology.
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