Pollen diversity, viability and floral structure of some Musa genotypes

This experiment was designed to study the floral structure, pollen morphology and the potential pollen viability of five Musa genotypes obtained from the Musa field germplasm bank at the Faculty of Agriculture & Natural Resources Management farm, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. Palynological investigation was carried out in the Applied Biology Laboratory of the same University. Results indicated significant differences (P < 0.001) in style and anther length among the genotypes. ‘Agbagba’ (a triploid landrace genotype) had the longest style (4.31±0.046cm) and anther (4.81±0.028 cm) compared with the other genotypes. Palynologically, results from pollen morphology studies indicated significant (P < 0.001) differences among the genotypes for pollen sizes and apertural types. Three different types of pollen were encountered viz, big, moderate and small pollens with corresponding big, moderate and small apertures and pores. The highest value for pore diameter was recorded for FHIA 25 (33.3±1.9 μm). There were apertural differences among the Musa genotypes studied. ‘Agbagba’ pollen grains were polyporate while others were polycolporate. PITA 14 pollen grains were the most deeply stained and thus most viable compared to the other four genotypes. This genotype could therefore serve as potential male parents in crosses.Keywords: Musa species; pollen stainability; viability; apertural types; parental crosse