The Rate of Pollen Germination and the Pollen Viability at Ten Apple Cultivars in the Climatic Conditions of Transylvania

Abstract. Pollen viability and germination are very important in choosing pollinating varieties needed to ensure high and quality yields. In this study, the viability and germination of pollen from ten apple cultivars growing in high density system (3174 trees/ha), in the climatic conditions of Cluj-Napoca, Romania were investigated. In vitro germination tests (hanging drop and agar-plate) were used to estimate pollen viability and germination in these cultivars. The viability and the germination of pollens varied significantly according to the cultivars. Among the cultivars analyzed in terms of pollen viability best results are recorded in ‘Pinova ’ (89.92%), ‘Gala ’ (80.48%), ‘Florina ’ (76.67%), ‘Topaz ’ (75.97%) and ‘Top Red ’ (74.64%), which differed statistically from ‘Golden Reinders ’ used as a control. The cultivar that shows the lowest values on pollen germination percentage was ‘Jonagold’, with differences statistically assured to ‘Golden Reinders ’ cultivar, used as a control variant