Respiration rate and fertility appeared to be closely correlated in Douglas-fir pollen. As the ability of the pollen to respire declined (with age or adverse storage conditions), so did the number of filled seed after pollination. A threshold value for loss of fertility in Douglas fir could be about 20 nmol O 2 per 100 mg pollen per minute. Some Douglas-fir pollen lots with low respiration rates induced considerable seed cone abortion.
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Binder et al. (1975) studied this question.