Ethylene controls the development, germination, in the progamic phase of fertilization and growth of petunia male gametophytes in the progamic phase of fertilization

In flowering plants, double fertilization involves a complex series of interactions between essentially three plants – male gametophyte, female gametophyte, and sporophyte – culminating in the fusion of sexual cells and nuclei and the formation of an embryo and endosperm. The progamic phase of fertilization that consists in delivery of sperms to ovule and includes a cascade of events triggering pollen germination on the surface of stigma and growth of pollen tubes within tissues of the style and ovary plays a crucial role.