anther culture

[LEWINSON at WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU]

Your question about mitochondria in anther culture is a very interesting one.
By the way, unlike most angiosperm pollen, the pollen from conifers does
contain mitochondria.  My guess is that angiosperm pollen must contain some
mitochondria too, but is probably non-functional during normal fertilization.
During anther culture these mitochondria become active. This is only a guess.
I'd be interested to hear other opinions.

Efraim Lewinsohn