Pollen Viability & Storage — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2023When once they are shed, pollen grains have to land on the stigma before they lose viability if they have to bring about fertilisation. How long do you think the pollen grains retain viability? The period for which pollen grains remain viable is highly variable and to some extent depends on the prevailing temperature and humidity. In some cereals such as rice and wheat, pollen grains lose viability within 30 minutes of their release, and in some members of Rosaceae, Leguminosae and Solanaceae, they maintain viability for months. You may have heard of storing semen/sperms of many animals including humans for artificial insemination. It is possible to store pollen grains of a large number of species for years in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). Such stored pollen can be used as pollen banks, similar to seed banks, in crop breeding programmes.
NTA tests which plant families maintain pollen viability for months, with Solanaceae being the key example. Students often confuse this with cereals like rice and wheat, where pollen loses viability in just 30 minutes. The critical trap: memorizing that *different plant families have different viability periods* — not assuming all pollen behaves the same way. To get NEET questions right, remember: cereals = short viability (30 mins), but Rosaceae/Leguminosae/Solanaceae = long viability (months). Also know that pollen can be stored for years in liquid nitrogen (-196°C), which is useful for crop breeding programs and acts like a pollen bank. This concept appears because it tests understanding of reproductive biology and practical applications in agriculture.
This paragraph was tested 2 times in NEET.
In which of the following sets of families, the pollen grains are viable for months? (NEET 2023)
In some members of which of the following pairs of families, pollen grains retain their viability for months after release? (NEET 2021)
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