Peer-review: Yes - Open Access: Yes|http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&ISSN=0002-9122

Pollen of the three species studied, Japanese honeysuckle, trumpet vine, and tobacco, will germinate readily in a sucrose solution containing a trace of boron. Germination experiments were conducted with pollen in equimolal solutions of a variety of sugars and sugar derivatives; pollen tube growth obtained was compared to growth obtained under the same conditions in sucrose. In many cases growth was poorer in the carbohydrate than it was in sucrose, and experiments indicated that, with a few exceptions, this was the result of growth inhibition by the carbohydrate involved. Pollen of trumpet vine flowers was germinated in solutions containing uniformly labelled sucrose-C14, glucose-C14 or fructose-C14. These externally supplied sugars are absorbed and utilized in respiration. The specific activity of the CO2 produced showed that during pollen tube respiration of individual sugars 36 per cent of the CO2 came from the glucose, or 66 per cent came from the fructose, or 72 per cent came from sucrose.

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