03028naa a2200241 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902000220006002400530008210000180013524500760015326000090022949000450023852022350028365000210251865000140253965000320255365000130258565000140259870000200261270000180263277301360265021818452025-11-25       2025    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a978-1-0716-4686-17 ahttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-4686-1_72DOI1 aDINATO, N. B.  aCryopreservation of Paspalum spp. Pollen Grains.h[electronic resource]  c2025  a(Springer. Springer Protocols Handbooks)  aAbstract: Paspalum is a significant genus within the Poaceae family, comprising grasses that play crucial roles in agriculture, ecology, and conservation. Widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, the genus exhibits extensive species diversity and morphological variation, offering valuable opportunities for breeders to develop progenies with desirable agronomic traits through hybridization. ln Brazil, Paspalum is particularly notable for its rich diversity of native species, predominantly found in natural pastures, especially in the southern region. A key biological characteristic of Paspalum is the coexistence of sexual and apomictic cytotypes within the sarne species, along with frequent natural inter- and intraspecific hybridizations. This has profound implications for the genus's evolution, conservation, and breeding programs. Interspecific hybridization is common, with numerous natural hybrids documented. However, some species combinations do not occur naturally due to reproductive barriers, which can be categorized as pre-zygotic ( e.g., differences in flowering time, genomic configurations, pollen incompatibility, or self-incompatibility mechanisms) or post-zygotic ( e.g., hybrid inviability, sterility, or reduced fitness ). Pollen cryopreservation has emerged as an effective strategy to overcome reproductive barriers in Paspalum and facilitate interspecific hybridization. By preserving pollen at ultra-low temperatures, this technique enables synchronization of flowering among different species, thereby allowing controlled crosses. Additionally, cryopreservation supports the long-term conservation of genetic material, safeguarding the genetic diversity of Paspalum while promoting future research and breeding initiatives. It also facilitates germplasm exchange and contributes to the establishment of a Paspalum pollen cryobank, enhancing crossbreeding efforts and hybrid development. Furthermore, it plays a critica! role in conservation efforts by preserving pollen from endangered species for future restoration programs. This chapter presents a standardized, efficient, and replicable method for the cryopreservation of pollen grains from Paspalum species.  aCryopreservation  aGermplasm  aInterspecific hybridization  aPaspalum  aGramínea1 aVIGNA, B. B. Z.1 aFAVERO, A. P.  tIn: RAJASEKHARAN, P. E.; GOWTHAMI, R. (ed.). Pollen Cryopreservation Protocols. 2. ed. Nova Iorque: Humana Press, 2025. p. 121-135.