Pollen studies to determine variability in thirty pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) tree accessions from Western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh

The research was conducted to assess pollen viability and germination in thirty pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) tree accessions collected from Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Pollen viability was evaluated using acetocarmine (2%) and erythrosine B (0.1%) staining methods, while pollen germination was tested in vitro using two media: 15% sucrose and a mixture of 5% sucrose + 10% agar + 10 ppm boric acid. The highest viability was observed in T22 (93.67% in acetocarmine; 88.40% in erythrosine B) and the highest germination in T21 (52.26% in 15% sucrose; 61.47% in boric acid-enriched medium). These results confirm that medium enriched with agar and boric acid provides optimal conditions for pollen germination. Accessions T21 and T22 demonstrated strong reproductive potential, making them valuable for future breeding programs.