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Pollen viability of Polygala paniculata L. (Polygalaceae) using different staining methods
Viviane Dal-Souto Frescura1, Haywood Dail Laughinghouse, Thais Scotti do Canto-Dorow
1Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Genotoxicity, Department of Biology, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas (CCNE), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Avenida Roraima, no 1000, Cep. 97105-900, Camobi, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
Abstract:
Polygala paniculata L. is a medicinal plant that grows in the Brazilian Atlantic coast, known as 'barba-de-São-João', 'barba-de-bode', 'vassourinha branca', and 'mimosa'. In this study, pollen viability was estimated by three different staining methods: 2% acetic orcein, 2% acetic carmine, and Alexander's stain. The young inflorescences of twenty accessions were collected and fixed in a solution of ethanol: acetic acid (3:1) for 24 hours, then stored in ethanol 70% under refrigeration. Six slides per plant, two for each stain, were prepared by squashing, and 300 pollen grains per slide were analyzed. Pollen viability was high (> 70%) for most accessions of P. paniculata using the Alexander's stain, which proved the most adequate method to estimate pollen viability.
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