Inhibition of the growth of apple pollen tubes by EDTA, surfactants and fungicides

• Published in: Annals of applied biology Vol. 140; no. 1; pp. 81 - 86
• Main Authors: KÖPCKE, D, BAUR, P, SCHÖNHERR, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-02-2002; Blackwell
• Subjects: Apple; Biological and medical sciences; fruit thinning; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungicides; image analysis; pollen tube growth; surfactants
• ISSN: 0003-4746; 1744-7348
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2002.tb00159.x

Summary
The effects of EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), Kresoxim‐methyl, Wettable Sulphur 80 WP and the surfactants Triton X‐100, Triton X‐114, Dehydol TA 5 and Dehydol TA 29 on pollen tube growth of Malus domestica, Borkh. cvs ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Mondial Gala’ were determined by image analysis. The ED50 ‐ and ED90 ‐ values (effective doses giving 50% and 90% reduction of growth) of the chemicals, except for the surfactants, were determined.
The selected test substances showed an inhibiting effect on pollen tube growth, with Kresoxim‐methyl being the most active. Surfactants are components of pesticides and they also caused inhibition of pollen tube growth but only at application rates more then 10‐fold higher than typically recommended. Pollen of both apple cultivars were almost equally sensitive to the chemicals.