The release of free amino acids from germinating pollen

Synchronously germinating Petunia pollen in an aerated sucrose medium release free amino acids during the first minutes after contact with the aqueous medium. The release process between 1 minute and 6 hours follows an exponential equation. The content of free amino acids of the germinating pollen decreases sharply. Free amino acids set free from “dead” pollen reach their plateau after 40 minutes in the alcoholic extraction medium. Differences in the amino acid curves show that only a part of them is localized in the pollen wall, but the majority are peptide bound in the inner space of the microspore. Consideration of the data obtained by differential analysis of the amino acid curves suggests that amino acids and protein are synthesized in the early phase of pollen germination.