VARIATION IN POLLEN FERTILITY AND GERMINABILITY IN GINGER (ZINGIBER-OFFICINALE ROSCOE)

Eighteen ginger strains were collected mainly from Asian countries fro m 1985 through 1989 to investigate their pollen fertility and germinab ility. The pollen fertility test was performed in mid-October 1990, an d that for pollen germinability was conducted during November 1990. Al l strains displayed low pollen fertility; three strains had pollen fer tility ranging from 20.9% to 21.4%, seven from 10.6% to 19.0%, and eig ht from 0.9% to 7.4%. Ln the pollen germinability test, 14 strains use d had very low germination rates; four had germination rates ranging f rom 0.15% to 0.22%, three from 0.06% to 0.10%, and seven from 0.00% to 0.02%.