Pollen of commercial anonas, cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.), curstad apple (Annona squamosa L.) and atemoya (Annona cherimola X Annona squamosa) has a short viability time. This fact associated with the occurrence of protogynous dichogamy in these plants demands methodologies for pollen conservation that increases pollen longevity. The objective of this study was to apply pollen storage procedures to these fruit trees. The pollen was collected from flowers at male stage and conservation assays were performed in liquid nitrogen (_196°C) and refrigerator (4-5°C). Pollen samples were submitted to desiccation and some were not desiccated and were collected during dry and humid periods of the year. The freshly collected pollen without desiccation was denominated fresh pollen (PF) and was used as control. The freshly collected pollen that was used in the assays 12 hours after collection was denominated dawned pollen (PA). Pollen viability was evaluated by staining tests with Alexander stain, in vitro germination and hand pollination assays. In the in vitro germination assays culture mediums A and BK were used and the evaluation was based on pollen tube growth rate. The fresh pollen collected during humid period exhibited higher viability then the fresh pollen collected during dry period. In the in vitro germination tests the pollen tube growth was observed for samples of PF and PA in the first 12 hours. The rate of emitted tubes decreased as time of conservation raised. In the in vitro germination and pollinations tests the pollen samples conserved in the refrigerator exhibited higher viability than those on the nitrogen. The pollinations made with PF and PA pollen that were collected both in the humid and dry period resulted in fruit settings. There was no fruit set from pollinations made with any other pollen sample that was conserved either in nitrogen or refrigerator for more than three days.
Cryopreservation; Alexander staining, in vitro pollen germination; pollen viability
