NEETBotanySexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
How can you study pollen germination according to the paragraph?
Options
- ABy observing flowers in their natural habitat
- BBy dusting pollen on a glass slide with sugar solution
- CBy using ultraviolet light on pollen grains
- DBy growing plants in a controlled environment
Correct answer
B. By dusting pollen on a glass slide with sugar solution
Step-by-step solution
You can easily study pollen germination by dusting some pollen from flowers such as pea, chickpea, Crotalaria, balsam and Vinca on a glass slide containing a drop of sugar solution (about 10 per cent). After about 15–30 minutes, observe the slide under the low power lens of the microscope. You are likely to see pollen tubes coming out of the pollen grains. A breeder is interested in crossing different species and often genera to combine desirable characters to produce commercially ‘superior’ varieties. Artificial h