The preservation of soluble material on the surface and in cavities of the pollen wall of Campanulaceae and Pentaphragmataceae

Abstract

During conventional preparation for transmission electron microscopy a considerable part of the soluble material on the surface and in cavities of the pollen wall and in the another loculus between the tapetum and the pollen grains is extracted. To improve rehydration of dried pollen grains and stabilize surface material of the pollen wall, different compound fixatives and a modified dehydration technique have been applied. Structures are retained by the specialized treatment which are not observed when buffered glutaraldehyde alone is used. Intine-held vesicles and a fibrillar network in gaps and spaces of the endexine stain positively for protein. © 1981.