For Pollen Culture uninucleate stage is preferred Select one: True False
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is True.
In pollen culture, the uninucleate stage is preferred because it represents an early and more totipotent developmental phase of the pollen grain. At this stage, the pollen contains a single nucleus, which is generally the vegetative nucleus before the pollen undergoes mitosis to form the generative nucleus. Culturing pollen at this stage allows better control over its development and increases the chances of successful in vitro germination and growth.
The uninucleate stage is more responsive to culture conditions and can be induced to form callus or embryos more readily compared to later stages where the pollen is binucleate or trinucleate. Once the pollen reaches the binucleate or trinucleate stages, it is usually more differentiated and less capable of reverting to a totipotent state necessary for successful culture.
Pollen culture is widely used in plant breeding and genetic research because it allows for haploid plant production. Haploids are valuable for producing homozygous lines more quickly than traditional breeding methods. Culturing pollen at the uninucleate stage maximizes the potential for the pollen grains to develop into haploid embryos.
Furthermore, the uninucleate stage pollen has a higher metabolic activity and is more viable for in vitro manipulation. Later stages might have already committed to gamete formation and fertilization processes, making them less adaptable for culture and embryogenesis.
In summary, the uninucleate stage of pollen is preferred for culture due to its developmental plasticity, higher viability, and increased potential for successful haploid embryo formation, which is critical for applications in plant breeding and biotechnology.