Re: HYB: ?Pollen viability

Waay back decades ago, I worked with someone who was using some kind of
stain, looking at pollen under the microscope to determine whether or
not it was viable.  One or the other would take up stain, so it was
obvious which was still viable.

Bill Burleson asked the same question here a few years ago.  I remember
surfing the web a bit to see what I could find, sent him some leads, but
I don't know how much he pursued it.

When I worked with this kind of stuff, there was little awareness about
how toxic (carcinogenic, mutagenic) a lot of lab chemicals can be, & I
don't know whether or not this type of biological stain would still be
readily available or would need special handling to use (fume hood
etc).  And whether you would need a microscope or if a good hand lens,
magnifying glasses would be enough magnification to tell.

<When you stored pollen for a week or two or three....is there an easy
way to
                   tell if it is still viable?

                   Thanks,

                   Dana
Malevil Iris Gardens & Kennels
                   www.malevil-iris.com
                   Lubbock, TX  79403
                   Zone 7 USDA, Zone 10 Sunset>
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index