Effects of Calcium and Boron on Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Growth of Torenia fournieri

The effects of calcium (Ca²⁺) and boron (H₃BO₃) on pollen germination and pollen tube growth of Torenia fournieri Lind.were investigated in this paper.The main results were following:(1) Ca²⁺ affected the speed of pollen germination and growth dramatically,but had no influence on the frequency of pollen germination.When the concentration of Ca²⁺ was very low or high,the pollen tubes grew poorly.When the concentration of Ca²⁺ was higher than proper concentration,the growth of pollen tubes was inhibited,and the pollen tubes became snaky in their early stages of growth.(2) Boron affected the frequency of pollen germination and the morphology of the pollen tube greatly,but different concentration of boron had no obvious effect on the growth speed of pollen tubes.When the concentration of boron was adjusted to higher than the proper concentration,the growth of pollen tubes became snaky for a long time.(3) Using cooled-CCD,serial photography further proves that it is the concentration of Ca²⁺ not that of H₃BO₃ that plays an important role for the growth speed of pollen tubes.