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The Impact of Sulfur Dioxide on Plant Sexual Reproduction: In Vivo and In Vitro Effects Compared¹

ABSTRACT

In Lepidium virginicum L., exposure of pollen to 0.6 ppm sulfur dioxide (SO₂) for 4 h reduced pollen germination in vitro 94% from the control, whereas exposure to 0.6 ppm SO₂ for 2, 4, and 8 h during flowering reduced pollen germination in vivo 50% from the control, but did not affect seed set. An interaction between SO₂ and water may have caused the inhibition of pollen germination in a liquid culture medium, as well as on the moist surface of an intact stigma. However, the results suggest that the use of pollen germination and pollen tube elongation in vitro to assess the direct effects of SO₂ on plant sexual reproduction in vivo is not valid.

Key Words: Lepidium virginicum • pollen germination • pollen tube growth • seed set

¹ Contribution from the Dep. of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.

² Research Associate, Air Quality Field Laboratory, 3908 Inwood Rd., Raleigh, NC 27603, and Professor of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, respectively.

Received for publication April 9, 1982.