MICROPYLAR EXUDATE IN GASTERIA (ALOACEAE) AND ITS POSSIBLE FUNCTION IN POLLEN TUBE GROWTH

The micropylar exudate of Gasteria verrucosa (Mill.) H. Duval was studied using light and electron microscopic techniques. Ovules may contain micropylar exudate before stigma receptivity. During successive phases of stigma receptivity, the number of ovules with micropylar exudate and the amount of micropylar exudate per ovule increases. At the late phase of stigma receptivity, large amounts of micropylar exudate with a smooth to cauliflowerlike appearance were observed. Micropylar exudate is viscous and contains, among other components, proteins and carbohydrates. At all stages of the stigma investigated, ovules situated at the base of the ovary contain a larger quantity of micropylar exudate than those at the top. The appearance of micropylar exudate is related to the degree of development of the embryo sac and it originates primarily from the filiform apparatus. It is assumed that an uptake of water by the ovule initiates the outflow of micropylar exudate from the filiform apparatus into the micropyle. Both ovular pollen tube ingrowth and seed set mark the optimum pollination stage of the stigma, which for both events lies around the onset of stigma receptivity. When pollen tubes have reached the ovary, young micropylar exudate stimulates their growth rate. The presence of micropylar exudate seems to be a requirement for pollen tube penetration, and an interaction between the pollen tube and the micropylar exudate has been proposed. Possibly, the micropylar exudate serves as a nutritional source and, in an optimum condition, as an attractant for approaching pollen tubes.