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Cyclic pollen production in Cedrus deodara

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Abstract

Based on a seven-year study of pollen production and release in two different natural populations of Cedrus deodara from Garhwal Himalaya, India, we determined that pollen output follows a two-year cycle. Pollen productivity determinations considered various sources of variability, including the number of pollen strobili per branch, strobili per tree, microsporophylls per tree and pollen grains per tree. Each of these parameters revealed significant year-to-year and population effects. Microsporangium dehiscence took from 2.5 to 3.5 days. Maximum dehiscence was observed between 12:00 and 14:00 h, which coincides with diurnal highest temperature and lowest relative humidity. Annual production of pollen per tree varied from averages of 4.7 × 109, 7.2 × 109 and 5.1 × 109 in years of low production, with alternate high years, producing 12.6 × 109, 14.1 × 109, 13.3 × 109 and 14.0 × 109 pollen grains per tree. Annual pollen production in individual trees of C. deodara ranged from 1.4 × 109 to 22.3 × 109.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Dr. Rajiv Pandey, Statistics Division, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, for his help in analyzing the data statistically and Directorate of Agriculture and Horticulture, Pauri Garhwal for providing meteorological data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram, India

    Vinod Prasad Khanduri

  2. Department of Botany, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, 246 174, Uttarakhand, India

    Chandra Mohan Sharma

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  1. Vinod Prasad Khanduri
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  2. Chandra Mohan Sharma
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Correspondence to Vinod Prasad Khanduri.

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Communicated by Scott Russell.

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Khanduri, V.P., Sharma, C.M. Cyclic pollen production in Cedrus deodara . Sex Plant Reprod 22, 53–61 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-008-0091-y

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