Pollinic preparation for morpho-palynological studies of Passiflora L. Subg. Passiflora L. (Passifloraceae)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a pollen preparation methodology with a high proportion of intact pollen of species for the genus Passiflora subg. Passiflora. Thus, flower buds were collected near anthesis, from the species: P. alata, P. edulis, P. foetida, P. giberti,  and P. setacea, fixed in ethanol-acetic acid mixture (3:1) and treated in 10%-20% aqueous sodium hydroxide, or acetolyzed. The pollen treated with 10% sodium hydroxide resulted in an average of 96% intact pollen grains in all species, however, after acetolysis an average percentage of 98% broken pollen was observed. Data obtained in pollen measurements did not change with the new methodology. It is therefore evident that the proposed methodology for pollen preparation based on sodium hydroxide was effective, as it allowed the visualization of a significant amount of intact pollen, thus promoting morpho-palynological studies of these species.