12. POLLEN BIOTECHNOLOGY

The new field of science dealing with the pollen chemistry and allerginicity of aerospora is known as pollen biotechnology. This subject also covers the genetic manipulation of pollen development of haploid culture. Such haploid plants have retained values in genetic research.

The reproductive biology of flowering plants is one of the most rapidly developing fields in plant science, due largely to the introduction of new molecular and computer technology. Pollen fecundity is crucial to crop productivity and also to biodiversity in general. For staple foods like Rice and wheat pollen fertility is one of the limiting and poorly understood factors that affect grain yield in these highly inbreeding species. Pollen production is adversely affected when the temperature is too warm or too cold.

Pollen biotechnology offers a powerful tool for,

a)      The optimization of crop production,

b)      Exploitation of hybrid vigor, and

c)      Crop improvement through breeding.

A large number of papers on various aspects of pollen biology and biotechnology are being published in a variety of journals showing increasing interest of scientific community in the topic. But, still, there lies a gap between biologists interested in fundamental knowledge on pollen biology and those interested in the application of this knowledge to crop production and improvement.

Presently, the techniques of cell biology have new implications for plant reproductive success, which can be estimated by measuring pollen quantity and quality, pollen germination and tube growth, and successful fertilization.

The success of fertilization is reviewed in terms of:

1.      Differential gene expression in pistil and pollen, and

2.      Effectiveness of the gametes.