Plant Phenotyping - The Science of Crop Characterization
Modern plant phenotyping is a rapidly emerging research area concerned with the quantitative measurement of the structural and functional properties of plants. It provides essential information to plant breeders and crop management when selecting the best genotypes that will become future cultivars well-adapted to different environments [1].
Non-destructive high-throughput methods have replaced tedious classical assays, now generating large amount of multiparametric data in a very short time. One example used for pollen phenotyping is our Ampha Z32 Pollen Analyzer, capable of analyzing thousands of pollen grains in just a few seconds.
Impedance Flow Cytometry Reveals Large Differences in Hazelnut Pollen Sterility
In a recent study, the Ampha Z32 Pollen Analyzer was used to systematically investigate two important aspects of hazelnut biology: Pollen viability and pollen sterility. Those parameters were assessed in 33 cultivars used for hazelnut production and compared to wild genotypes. The measurements allowed the researchers to reliably classify pollen grains into viable, dead and sterile in a high throughput. Interestingly, both the pollen viability and the degree of sterility were strongly cultivar-specific, and both parameters varied over a surprisingly wide range. Importantly, only a small amount of dead pollen was observed. This suggests that pollen sterility is a key determinant of pollen quality in hazelnut, and therefore deserves particular attention when selecting suitable pollinators.
Congratulations to Lorenzo Ascari and his team for this impressive work and for demonstrating the power and potential of Impedance Flow Cytometry in plant science.
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