Age-dependent pollen abortion in cashew.

摘要

The effect of plant age on pollen abortion of Anacardium occidentale was studied. Using Alexander's stain, which differentiates aborted and non-aborted pollen grains, the proportion of aborted pollen versus plant age, size variation in aborted and non-aborted pollen grains, and number of pollen grains per flower were estimated. Aborted pollen was smaller than non-aborted pollen, regardless of plant age. The proportion of aborted pollen, varied from 22.5 to 46.8%, showing a steady increase with plant age, and the number of pollen grains per flower also increased with age. These results support the qualitative prediction that pollen abortion gradually increases with ageing, reflecting an increase in genetic load with age.