THE CYTOCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF NITRO BLUE TETRAZOLIUM AS AN INDEX OF POLLEN VIABILITY |
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| Authors: | Edward J P Hauser John H Morrison |
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| Institution: | Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio |
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| Abstract: | A new technique for estimating pollen viability utilizing Nitro Blue Tetrazolium (Nitro-BT) is given. Pollen of 16 taxa was studied and scored for stainability. A comparison was made between Nitro-BT-stained pollen samples and aniline-blue-lactophenol-stained samples, because the validity of the latter stain has been questioned in recent years. It is demonstrated that Nitro-BT can discriminate between pollens which have a capacity for oxidative metabolism, representing potential viability, and those which do not. Suggestions for pollen stainability studies are given. |
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