Objective The flowering Pleioblastus pygmaeus in the bamboo garden of Nanjing Forestry University was used as study object to study the viability and storage of the bamboo pollen under different conditions, and provide data for the production practice of hybrid breeding.

Method The effects of culture medium composition, sampling time, culture time and preservation conditions on pollen germination of P. pygmaeus were investigated with liquid culture.

Result The pollen germinating percentage varied with different culture media and reached the highest at the medium with 10% source+0.01% H₃BO₃+0.06% CaCl₂·2H₂O for 2.5 h; the suitable temperature range for pollen germination was at 26~30℃. The pollen germinated at a decreasing rate as their storage prolonged. While preserving the pollen, the pollen germination of the fresh anthers was better than that after drying, and that the longevity of pollen could be extended appropriately at 4℃, in which the vitality of pollen maintained for 96.0 h.

Conclusion The pollen of P. pygmaeus is suitable to cultivate in the culture medium with 10% source+0.01% H₃BO₃+0.06% CaCl₂·2H₂O. The suitable cultivation temperature is 26~30℃, and the suitable conservation condition is low temperature and non-drying environments which help prolong the life of pollen.