The rate of in vivo and in vitro pollen viability, in 20 açai palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) genotypes, belonging to the germplasm collection of Embrapa Eastern Amazon, was determined. The in vivo pollen grains were extracted from floral buds (FB) and recently opened flowers (ROF). The in vitro pollen grains were obtained from flasks stored in the freezer under -10ºC,with storage period (SP) of one (SP1), three (SP3), six (SP6) and twelve (SP12) months of storage. The pollen viability was accessed utilizing the Baker's procedure. The viability rate was achieved by counting up to 500 grains per slide. Most of the genotypes showed high viability for in vivo pollen, with an average of 84.8% in the BF samples and 93.2% in the ROF samples. For the in vitro pollen, a decrease in the viability in relation to the storage period was observed (SP1: 79.6%, SP3: 77.4%, SP6: 74.1% and SP12: 61.3%). Nevertheless, this decrease was not hazardous, observing that most of the genotypes achieved rates over 50% of viability, particularly the genotypes 3 and 9, which presented the major percentages. Therefore, all the tested genotypes presented high viability for in vivo pollen, and the in vitro pollen can be used for controlled pollination without any fecundity injury up to one year of storage.
Euterpe oleracea; Arecaceae; Breeding; Conservation; Stored pollen; Pollen viability
