Pollen development in maize plants subjected to molybdenum deficiency

Abstract

A reduction in the size of tassels, male flowers, and anthers resulted from molybdenum deficiency in maize. In molybdenum-deficient plants, anthesis was suppressed or delayed and the anthers had fewer and smaller pollen grains that lacked dense cytoplasmic contents, appeared shrivelled, and had poor viability. Because of molybdenum deficiency, there was a decrease in the activity of starch phosphorylase in mature and freshly shed pollen grains and decreases in the activities of invertase and acid phosphatase at all the five stages at which pollen grains were assayed for the enzymes. The activities of catalase and peroxidase were increased by molybdenum deficiency at all five stages and that of ribonuclease at four out of the five stages of pollen development.