TRANSFER OF DEVELOPING BEAN POLLEN IN LILY ANTHERS

Developing fertile and sterile microspores and pollen of Vicia faba L. are injected into lily anthers during different stages of their development. Changes in autofluorescence of bean microspore or pollen wall are observed and recorded after about 65 hours of incubation. Fertile and sterile tetrads of Vicia acquire the autofluorescent characters of lily in all anthers tested. Vacuolated fertile and sterile microspores accept or reject the lily characters. But mature pollen of both types do not accept the lily characters of pollen wall autofluorescence. The results indicate a limited phase in which the pollen wall of the bean accepts products influencing pollen wall autofluorescence. This phase ends when the microspores reach the vacuolated stage.