Fluorescence from abnormally sterile pollen of the Japanese apricot

Abstract

We observed trees of the Japanese apricot, Prunus mume ‘Nanko’ (Rosaceae), bearing two types of flowers: 34% had blue fluorescent pollen under UV irradiation, and 66% had non-fluorescent pollen. The fluorescent pollen grains were abnormally crushed, sterile, and devoid of intine and pollenkitt. The development of microspores within anthers was investigated: in the abnormally developed anthers, tapetal cells were vacuolated at the unicellular microspore stage, and fluorescent pollen was produced. Compounds responsible for the blue fluorescence of pollen were identified as chlorogenic acid and 1-O-feruloyl-β-D-glucose. The anthers with fluorescent pollen contained 6.7-fold higher and 3.8-fold lower amounts of chlorogenic acid and N¹,N⁵,N¹⁰-tri-p-coumaroylspermidine, respectively, compared to those with non-fluorescent pollen. The tapetal vacuolization, highly accumulated chlorogenic acid, and deficiency of N¹,N⁵,N¹⁰-tri-p-coumaroylspermidine imply that low-temperature stress during the early unicellular microspore stage caused a failure in microsporogenesis. Furthermore, potential effects of the visual difference on the bee behavior were also discussed through the colorimetry. The sterility, likely induced by low-temperature stress, and the preference of honeybees for fluorescence may reduce the pollination efficiency of P. mume.