Hello Uli and Bob, Am 14.05.2021 um 15:36 schrieb Robert Lauf via pbs: > But it's intriguing that the directions include mixing the nuked pollen with some fresh pollen, so I for one have no idea what's actually happening there. I dimly remember discussing this ages ago with a colleague, and I just tried to find some reference, but failed so far. Musing on what you wrote and what I remember, I pieced it together for myself like this: The barriers against hybridization and selfing are erected by the receiving pistil and style. Self pollen will try to grow a pollen tube, but the receiving plant will refuse to nurture or actively reject the pollen tube growth of its own (or other incompatible) pollen. I think microwaving pollen will quickly kill it by either altering its proteins or its DNA beyond the limits of viability. But the microwaved pollen might act as a disguise, convincing the receiving plant that there is outcross pollen present. The pollen actually getting the job done then would be the fresh pollen. I will still try to find a reference, I think mechanisms like this have been described with hybridizing species, too. If I were to try, I would mix "nuked" pollen nuked with different intensities, and use this mixed 1:1 with fresh pollen when there are few flowers, or use different combinations of different nuke intensities and fresh-to-nuked pollen ratios when there are enough flowers to experiment. Fingers crossed that it'll work! Nils _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>