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JXB Advance Access originally published online on August 8, 2003
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Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 54, No. 391, pp. 2307-2312, October 1, 2003
© 2003 Oxford University Press

Rate of dehydration of corn (Zea mays L.) pollen in the air

Received 27 May 2003; Accepted 23 June 2003

Donald E. Aylor*

Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, PO Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504, USA

* Fax: +1 203 974 8502. E-mail: Donald.Aylor{at}po.state.ct.us

The water content of corn (Zea mays L.) pollen directly affects its dispersal in the atmosphere through its effect on settling speed and viability. Therefore, the rate of water loss from pollen after being shed from the anther is an important component of a model to predict effective pollen transport distances in the atmosphere. The rate of water loss from corn pollen in air was determined using two methods: (1) by direct weighing of samples containing ~5x104 grains, and (2) by microscopic measurement of the change in size of individual grains. The conductance of the pollen wall to water loss was derived from the time rate of change of pollen mass or pollen grain size. The two methods gave average conductance values of 0.026 and 0.027 cm s–1, respectively. In other experiments, the water potential, {psi}, of corn pollen was determined at various values of relative water content (dry weight basis), {theta}, either by using a thermocouple psychrometer or by allowing samples of pollen to come to vapour equilibrium with various saturated salt solutions. Non-linear regression analysis of the data yielded {psi} (MPa)= –3.218{theta}–1.35 (r2=0.94; for –298<={psi}<=–1 MPa). This result was incorporated into a model differential equation for the rate of water loss from pollen. The model agreed well (r2 ~0.98) with the observed time-course of the decrease of water content of pollen grains exposed to a range of temperature and humidity conditions.

Key words: Longevity, settling speed, survival, viability, water content, water potential.


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