Pollen germination
Pollen grains germinate to form a pollen tube that grows into the tissue of the pistil, the first step of reproduction in flowering plants.
The science behind this experiment
In angiosperm plants, petals have the primary function of attracting insects to serve as pollinators. After landing on the stigma, or tip of the pistil, the pollen germinates to form a pollen tube, which penetrates the tissues of the style and ultimately enters the cavity of the ovary.
Equipment used
- Petri dishes — PLA-001
- Filter paper — PLA-027
- Tweezers — PLA-025
- Microscope slides — BIO-001
- Microscope — BIO-009
- Pollen
Chemicals and reagents
- Distilled water
- Development solution
Questions for students
- Describe what you see over time.
- Can you make a hypothesis about what causes pollen germination?
- What are the main ways of pollen distribution?
- Describe briefly how the pollen tubes contribute to fertilisation.
What to expect
Time after time an increasing number of pollen granules develops tubes. Some pollen germinates in 510 minutes and continues to lengthen for an hour. Pollen lands in many places but germinates only on the stigma of the ovary. Boric acid and sucrose solution emulate this favourable environment. Wind and insects are the main agents responsible for pollination but also birds and water. During evolution plants developed several methods to ensure cross pollination. If pollination succeeds, the pollen tube grows from the stigma, penetrating the tissues of the style, to the cavity of the ovary. In the ovary the pollen tube enters the ovule and deposits haploid sperm cells in the embryo sac.
Run this experiment in your classroom
This experiment is part of ATP Volta — a self-contained mobile science lab that turns an ordinary classroom into a working STEM laboratory, with over 200 experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, robotics and engineering. Gali, the AI tutor built into ATP Connect, guides students through each step and answers their questions at the bench.
See the ATP Volta mobile science labTalk to our team