Amenability of stored pollens to pollination in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Abstract

In India, hybridization in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is carried out in open fields, as compared to large glasshouses/polyhouses in America and Europe. Promising parents are grown in hybridization garden in high hills at Kufri, Himachal Pradesh, where the cooler climate and long summer days are conducive for flowering [1]. The male flowers are kept overnight for moderate drying of anthers under room temperature to facilitate easy extraction of the pollen. The present study was conducted to examine the viability of freshly harvested and room temperature-stored pollen for its effectiveness in potato hybridization.