Aiming to find out variations in pollen quantity and viability in eighteen apple cultivars, analysis of "in vitro" germination was performed to contribute - as a parameter for genetic breeding by hybridization and as a pollination basis. The apple cultivars or selections recommended for commercial planting, at the mild climate conditions prevailing in the State of São Paulo, Brasil, and most utilized in crosses, are nowadays the following: Anna, Brasil, Dulcina, Ein Shemer, Gala, Rainha, Valinhense, IAC 170-1 and IAC 570-38. These cultivars presented more than 50 thousand pollen grains per one flower. The germination index observed (also an indicator of pollen viability) was higher than 50 percent in great number of materials, indicating that the pollen of the apple plant, well prepared, can be stored in a cold and dry environment (a desiccator at -1ºC) during a period of about 70 days.
pollen; apple tree; viability; pollination; breeding