Pollen–stigma interactions in Brassicaceae: Complex communication events regulating pollen hydration

The process of plant reproduction is responsible for much of our food supply, with fertility and seed set critical for crop yield and thus food security. The first stage of male–female recognition in flowering plants takes place when pollen lands on the surface of the stigma. In Brassicaceae, compatible pollen will hydrate and germinate, leading to successful fertilization, while these processes are severely impaired in incompatible pollen, preventing fertilization. Rozier et al. (2020) have developed a semi-in vivo live-cell imaging system to investigate early pollen–stigma interactions in both compatible and incompatible pollinations in Arabidopsis thaliana.