Figure 4.

The Diameter of Arabidopsis fim5 Pollen Tubes Is Irregular in Early Stages but Recovers Later.

(A) Representative image of pollen tubes from wild-type (WT) Col-0 and fim5 mutants germinating on Arabidopsis pollen germination medium for 12 h. Bar = 10 µm.

(B) The widest and thinnest parts of the pollen tubes from wild-type Col-0 and fim5 mutants were measured. The diameter of the widest parts from fim5 mutants was significantly larger compared with wild-type Col-0 (**P < 0.01, by t test, n ≥ 40 per group), whereas there was no difference in the thinnest parts. Error bars represent mean ± se.

(C) The growth rate of fim5 pollen tubes decreased compared with the wild type. Germination time refers to the growth time of pollen tubes. Error bars represent mean ± se (n ≥ 10 per group).

(D) Pollen grains from wild-type Col-0 and fim5 mutants were used to pollinate wild-type stigmas. Pollen tubes were visualized by aniline blue staining. Bar = 1 mm.