Establishment of in vitro pollen germination system in C4 model plant Foxtail Millet

The development and germination of pollen play crucial roles in the sexual reproduction of plants, and this process holds great potential for improving grain yield in crops. In this study, we established a germination system for foxtail millet pollen and identified culture temperature and time as key factors for successful germination. Specifically, we found that a temperature of 22 °C and a duration of 30 min provided the optimal conditions for pollen germination. It is worth noting that if the culture temperature was too high, the top of the pollen tube would expand. Additionally, we discovered that sucrose and boric acid were essential for in vitro germination of foxtail millet pollen, with 15