Pollen Grain Variation among Some Trees of Fabaceae in New Damietta, Egypt.

Abstract

The current study aims at investigating the morphology of pollen grain for eleven woody species of Fabaceae cultivated in New Damietta, Egypt. The pollen grains were prepared according to Erdtman's acetolysis method , described and photographed using light microscopy (LM). The results showed variations in their qualitative and quantitative features. Differences in pollen shape (subprolate, prolate, prolate-spheroidal, oblate-spheroidal), size (medium to large), pollen arrangement (monads or polyads), amb (circular, irregular, elliptic or triangular), polarity (isopolar, heteropolar), type of apertures ( porate, colporate, inaperturate ) and exine ornamentation patterns (psilate, verrucate, granulate, reticulate and psilate-perforate ) are characterized. Electrophoretic (SDS-PAGE) examination of total pollen protein content of four species ( Acacia ehrenbergiana , Cassia glauca , Delonix regia, Leucaena leucocephala ) revealed distinct protein bands. The results of this study is of great importance in understanding the pollen types of some allergy producing species.