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Abstract
Blackberry pollen germination in vitro decreased linearly with increased duration of storage at 22°C. Time required to reach 50% nonviability varied among cultivars from 2.5 to 10 days. Storage at 6° more than doubled the time required to reach 50% non viability. A 20% sucrose-agar medium was satisfactory for germination assay of pollen from tetraploid blackberries but gave poor results on a diploid clone.
Abstract
No differences in percentage fruit set resulted from self or cross pollination in 8 tetraploid cultivars of erect blackberry (Rubus subgenus Eubatus), but 2 selections with diploid ancestry showed decreased fruit set from self-pollination. In some cultivars, self-pollination resulted in reduced fruit size and generally resulted in decreased seed number per fruit. Fluorescence microscopy showed no differences in rate or extent of pollen tube growth from self or cross pollen within blackberry styles. Caging experiments indicated that blackberries are not dependent on insects for pollination, but wind dispersal of pollen is important in securing uniform fruit set.