2.2. Pollen collection
Pollens were collected between 8.00 and 10.00 h in the morning.
Panicles were selected and open flowers were removed and then bagged in the afternoon.
In the next morning, fresh open male flowers with red or purple anthers were collected.
These pollens were subjected to four storage conditions and six storage periods with three replications in each treatment.
For each replication, a minimum of 50 flowers were placed in petri dish lined with moist filter paper disc and brought immediately to the laboratory.
The flowers were then placed under sun to induce dehiscence and pollens were collected in small cryo vials and kept into desiccators for3–4 h.
After desiccation, the cryo vials were sealed and transferred to respective storage conditions.