BIOLOGY

What are Pollen Grains?
Spring is a time of new growth and fresh beginnings. Days get

longer, the sun gets warmer, and flowers bloom in a magnificent
show of color. And as a result of these lovely blossoms
everywhere, many of us find ourselves in sneezing fits. In order
for flowers to propagate every year, they must be pollinated. And
pollination sends millions of tiny pollen grains through the air,
many of which end up in our nose.
But pollen does not exist simply to make us miserable. Pollen
grains represent the male portion of the reproductive process in
plants and trees. These tiny bodies are swirling in the air and on
the legs of insects so that they can join the female part of the
plant to create a new seed. This important process is known
as fertilization. As we will discover, pollen plays a crucial role in
the plant world.
Structure of Pollen Grains
Pollen grains are microscopic structures that vary in size and

shape. Some are tiny orbs, while others are egg-shaped.
Although too small to see individually, they can be seen by the
naked eye in large quantities. You have probably noticed a bright
orange-yellow coating on your car during springtime that closely
resembles cheese powder from the macaroni and cheese box.
Assorted Pollen Grains (Sunflower, Morning Glory, Hollyhock, Primrose,

Castor Bean)
Viewed through a microscope, a pollen grain hardly looks real. An

extremely durable body, it has a tough outer coating. This hardy
coat offers great protection from the harsh outdoor environment.
This is important because inside this tough shell lie two cells:
the tube cell, which will eventually become the pollen tube, and
a generative cell, which contains the male sperm nuclei needed
for fertilization.
Let's zoom in to take a closer look. There are three main
components of a pollen grain. The inside of the grain is made up
of cytoplasm. This fluid medium houses the aforementioned
living cells, keeping them moist and alive. The outer shell is made
up of two layers. The inside layer is aptly named the intine (think
interior). It is composed partly of cellulose, a common component
in the cell walls of plant cells.
The tough-as-nails outer layer is known as the exine (think
exterior). This highly sophisticated and complex outer layer is rich
in a compound known as sporopollenin. Waterproof, resistant to
deterioration and very stiff, this shell is basically one of nature's
most advanced polymers. It ensures that the tender cells inside
have a strong chance of survival.
In addition, often times the exine
has folds, creases and spikes rising from its surface. Like extra
armor, these features add to the protective nature of this layer.
They also play an important role in the mobility of the grains,
making it more likely that they will stick to the legs of insects as
well as catch the wind.
Pollen Viability in Plants:
Variations and Factors
Meaning of Pollen Viability:

Pollen viability refers to the ability of the pollen to perform its
function of delivering male gametes to the embryo sac. This
functional property of the pollen after their release from the
anther varies greatly from species to species and its quality is
assessed on the basis of its viability. Pollen viability is an index of
its quality and vigour.
Pollen viability varies between minutes and years, and which

primarily depends on the taxonomic status of the plant and on the
abiotic environmental conditions. In order to maintain the
viability and fertilizing ability of the pollen for a long period of
time special storage conditions are needed.
Cryopreservation is the most efficient method for long-term

preservation of partly dehydrated pollen grains. In vitro
biotechnological techniques like isolation and fusion of
reproductive cells, and DNA transformation of artificially
produced zygotes and embryos, have opened new prospects for
germplasm storage.
Harrington (1970) on the basis of pollen
viability has classified the examined
plant taxa into three main groups, viz.:
a) Long Lived Pollen (six months to a year), example,

Ginkgoaceae, Pinaceae, Arecaceae, Saxifragaceae, Rosaceae,
Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Vitaceae and Primulaceae.
b) Pollen with a medium life span (approximately 1-3 months),

examples, Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Salicaceae, Ranunculaceae,
Brassicaceae, Rutaceae, Scrophulariaceae, and Solanaceae.
c) Short Lived Pollen (from few minutes to a couple of days),

examples, Alismataceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Commelinaceae
and Juncaceae.
Causes for the Loss of Pollen Viability:
It has been extremely difficult to access the exact reasons behind

the loss of viability among pollen grains within a span of short or
long period. Studies of Stanley and Linskens (1974) suggest that it
is the deficiency of respiratory substrates or/and inactivation of
certain specific enzymes or growth hormones that are likely to
affect the viability of the pollen.
This idea is however, untenable when it is seen that the pollen of

cereals (short lived) inspite of having abundant metabolites
quickly lose their viability. Similarly changes in amino acid
composition of stored pollen fail to explain the loss of viability.
There are variable reasons to explain such inactivity as stated
below.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 BIOLOGY NCERT BOOK
 INTERNET

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What are Pollen Grains?

Spring is a time of new growth and fresh beginnings. Days get

Pollen grains are microscopic structures that vary in size and

Assorted Pollen Grains (Sunflower, Morning Glory, Hollyhock, Primrose,

Viewed through a microscope, a pollen grain hardly looks real. An

Meaning of Pollen Viability:

Pollen viability varies between minutes and years, and which

Cryopreservation is the most efficient method for long-term

a) Long Lived Pollen (six months to a year), example,

b) Pollen with a medium life span (approximately 1-3 months),

c) Short Lived Pollen (from few minutes to a couple of days),

It has been extremely difficult to access the exact reasons behind

This idea is however, untenable when it is seen that the pollen of

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