Description:
The characteristics of pollen morphology is an important key to determine the germplasm. In this study, we investigated the pollen morphology of the tidal swamp rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phenetic relationship of this germplasm was also reconstructed based on UPGMA method. Nine cultivars of the tidal swamp rice, comprise eight from the South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, and one from Sumatera Island (a comparison), were used in this study. The SEM analysis revealed the distinct variations among pollen rice morphology, particularly in the pattern of exine surface ornamentation. Two form of the ornamentation discovered for this germplasm, namely insular and mixed-granular type. According to the UPGMA analysis, the tidal swamp rice cultivars clustered into four groups, where Pandak Putih and Lakatan Pacar have the farthest relationship, and Pandak Putih and Lakatan Wangi were the closest. These findings might be useful in the future rice breeding program, particularly in the development of new rice cultivars for the tidal swamp areas.