Palynological Study on Some Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) Cultivars Using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Pollen is an important morphological parameter for cultivar identification. This is of great importance in detailed investigations by scanning electron microscope (SEM). In this study, the pollen morphology of selected grape cultivars was examined by SEM. The pollen length, width, P/E ratio of pollen and features of surface were observed. The pollen differed in some microstructural characteristic. Pollen width exhibited significant according to the varieties (10.12-22.44 mu m). Similarly, the statistical difference occurred among the thirty Vitis cultivars in terms of mean pollen length (16.26-29.65 mu m). Areolat pollen was determined in some cultivars. Depending on the cultivars there was significant differences in terms of pores diameter. According to PCA performed in 30 grape cultivars, 3 principal components were revealed and they defined 94.98% of the variance. Cultivars were divided into groups according to pollen features on the cluster. Consequently, the cultivars were categorized under two main groups. The present research is a contribution to a more detailed analysis of grapevine cultivars.