THE EFFECT OF VIRUS-INFECTION ON MORPHOLOGY AND PROTEIN-COMPONENTS OFPOLLEN GRAINS

Morphology of pollen grains collected from healthy and virus infected plants of Chenopodium quinoa L., Chenopodium album L. and Nicotiana ta bacum L. cv. Samsun was investigated using scanning electron microscop y (SEM). Pollen grains from tobacco plans infected with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were smaller, with rounded shape and conspicuous deformat ion of aperture unlike oval and smooth pollen grains from healthy plan ts. No morphological alterations were observed in C. quinoa and C. alb um plants infected with TMV and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis of pollen proteins revealed substantial quan titative and qualitative differences in protein components of pollen g rains collected from healthy and virus infected plants.