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

A comparison was made of the effects of boron on growth, oxygen uptake, and sugar absorption by germinating pollen of trumpet vine. Oxygen up-take and sugar absorption are stimulated by the addition of boron up to and including 100 p.p.m. when the sugar used is sucrose. When glucose is supplied instead, boron stimulation of absorption and oxygen uptake is similar, except that 100 p.p.m. boron appears to inhibit oxygen uptake slightly. In contrast, using fructose in the germinating medium, there is little evidence of an increase of either oxygen uptake or sugar absorption upon the addition of boron, and there is clear evidence of inhibition of both these processes at the 100 p.p.m. boron level. The similarity of the effects of boron on sugar absorption and oxygen uptake indicate a close relation between these processes. On the other hand, boron effects on pollen tube elongation appear quite different, and it is concluded that boron has a specific role to play in growth of the pollen tube, which is not closely related to any effect of boron on either sugar absorption or respiration.

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