VITALITY OF BAMBOO POLLENS AND NATURAL POLLINATION IN BAMBOO PLANTS

Observations and experiments were carried out on abortion, vitality and pollination of pollens of 12 bamboo species. The vitality maint-anance time of anther and pollens was very short when they left their mother plant, especially the pollen which might lose vitality in 1~2h. Appropriate liquid medium for bamboo pollen germination was 10 % sugar solution. The germination percentage apparently increscently increased when 5 ppm boric acid was added to the solution.The flowers of Ph. nidularia f. smoothsheath and Pl. maculatus belonged to male sterility two types. Abortive pollens could be found in the other 10 bamboo species and they belonged to three different types. Unfavourable environmental conditions such as low temperature and drought stunted the development of the pollen, which increased the percentage of sterile pollens. The natural pollination of bamboo flowers were poor. 33.3 % of the flowers on the bamboo plants did not receive any pollen during flourishing period and in some individuals, the percentage of natural pollination was only 10 %.