Teacher / Technician Information Sheet
Pollen Tube Germination Practical
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Experiment Aim: to grow pollen tubes on a medium representing the female solution
to encourage pollen tube growth
Agar plates with solution should be made up in advance of the experiment and
supplied to the students at beginning of the experiment
Alternative methods are available online at
http://www.saps.org.uk/secondary/teaching-resources/222-student-sheet-4-pollentube-growth with a full set of images.
http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practical-biology/observing-growth-pollentubes
Please find safety and risk assessment sheets for chemicals here:
H3BO3 http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927105
CaNO3 http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927479
Agar
http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922809
Materials: Petri dishes, droppers, microscope
Chemicals:
1 mM H3BO3, 15% sucrose, 0.15% agar, 3.4 mM CaNO3
Method:
1. Make agar solution using all above ingredients and microwave at high power for ten
minutes to dissolve the agar. NB: Lid should be on the bottle during microwave stage but
only loosely sealed to prevent explosion. Use oven gloves to remove bottle from
microwave, being careful not to drop bottle. Allow to cool until safe to handle then pour
into petri dishes. Allow to set.
2. In class: collect various types of flowers. Encourage students to examine different pollen
types and note any differences in structure.
3. Gently remove anther from each flower structure and rub the pollen carefully across the
agar medium. NB: Do not force the pollen into the agar, ensure it is sitting on top of
medium. If pollen is hard to remove, break it up into smaller pieces with a tweezers on a
white piece of paper. Pick the pollen up using a paint brush and transfer onto the agar.
4. Check plates every half hour for pollen tube growth, using microscope.
5. Plates may be checked the following day if time does not permit (but may not last longer
than this).