Interactions between the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria laccata and the soil fungus Trichoderma virens in co-culture and in the rhizosphere of Pinus sylvestris seedlings growing in vitro were investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy. The growth of T. virens was inhibited in co-culture. Shortened, more branched and sometimes deformed or injured hyphae of T. virens were observed in the zone of inhibition. Two-month-old mycorrhizae of P. sylvestris/ L. laccata were inoculated with a conidial suspension of T. virens and examined at intervals of 7-24 h and 2, 3, and 6 days post-inoculation (p.i.). On non-mycorrhizal roots, conidia germination was high and long hyphae formed 3 days p.i. On mycorrhizal roots, short germ tubes were observed only sporadically. At 3 days p.i., the mantle hyphae of L. laccata grew towards the conidia and coiled around them. Extremely dense coils of hyphae were found around clusters of conidia. Deformation of conidia, breaks in conidial walls and their partial degradation were observed 6 days p.i.

The growth rate and the behaviour of Laccaria laccata and Trichoderma harzianum hyphae in co-culture and in the rhizosphere of 3-month-old Pinus sylvestris seedlings grown in vitro were investigated. In the interaction zone, hyphae of L. laccata became more pigmented and formed short branches growing towards the hyphae of the saprobic fungus, coiled around them and penetrated sporadically. Vacuolated hyphae of T. harzianum showed protoplasm granulation and breaks in walls followed by release of protoplasts. In the rhizosphere, the mantle hyphae of L. laccata showed a tendency to surround conidia of T. harzianum. No obvious penetration of the conidial walls by the hyphae of the mycorrhizal fungus was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Instead, in rare cases, the hyphae of L. laccata showed marked wrinkles, and a partial degradation of a mucilaginous material covering the mantle appeared to occur.

Egg cells were analysed cytologically during the female receptivity period in maize (Zea mays L., line A 188). Three classes of egg cell were distinguished: type A--small, non-vacuolated cells with a central nucleus; type B--larger cells with small vacuoles surrounding the perinuclear cytoplasm located in the middle of the cell; type C--big cells with a large apical vacuole and the mid-basal perinuclear cytoplasm. The less-dense cytoplasm of the vacuolated egg cells usually contained numerous cup- or bell-shaped mitochondria. The three egg types appear to correspond to three late stages of egg cell differentiation. The frequencies of each of the three egg types were monitored in developing maize ears before and after pollination. In young ears, with the silks just extending out of the husks, small A-type cells were found in about 86% of ovules. Their frequency decreased to about 58% at the optimum silk length, remained unchanged in non-pollinated ears, and fell to 16% at the end of the female receptivity period. However, after pollination and before fertilisation the frequency of these cells decreased to about 33%, and the larger vacuolated egg cells (types B and C) prevailed. At various stages of the receptivity period, pollination accelerated changes in the egg population, increasing the number of ovules bearing larger, vacuolated egg cells. Experiments with silk removal demonstrated that putative pollination signals act immediately after pollen deposition and are not species-specific.

The morphology and anatomy of generative organs of Salsola kali ssp. ruthenica was examined in detail using the light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The whole flowers, fruits and their parts (pistil, stamens, sepals, embryo, seed) were observed in different developmental stages. In the first stage (June), flower buds were closed. In the second stage (August), flowers were ready for pollination/fertilization. In the third stage (September), fruits were mature. Additionally, the anatomical and morphological structure of sepals was observed by means of LM and SEM. Thanks to the transverse and longitudinal semi-sections through sepals, the first phase of wing formation was recorded by SEM. The appearance of stomata in the epidermal cells of sepals above the forming wings was very interesting, too. The stomata were observed also in mature fruits.

Micromorphological characterisation and the comparative statistical analysis of the size of Primula veris L. pollen grains collected in three natural and three cultivated populations were done. Observations were carried out with SEM. The obtained measurements were analysed with the use of one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis Test and the Student-t Test. Pollen grains from long-styled ('pin') flower-morphs were mainly 6 colpate and from shortstyled ('thrum') flower-morphs 8 colpate. Colpi of some grains from 'thrum' flowers were 'sinuous' and 'circular', and they incised into the apocolpium zone. Ornamentation of 'pin' pollen grains was microreticulate, with lumina up to 0.8 μm wide, and for pollen grains from 'thrum' flowers was reticulate and eureticulate with lumina 1.1-1.7 μm wide. In lumina of mesocolpium area some free columellae were observed. Pollen grains from 'thrum' flower-morphs were more variable in size, both in natural and in cultivated populations, than grains from 'pin' flower-morphs. The differences in mean length (P) and breadth (E) of pollen grains from 'thrum' flowers collected in cultivated populations were statistically important (F_P = 3.154 for the critical F₀₀₅ = 3.098; K-W_e = 7.469 for the critical Test value _α=005 = 5.991). Pollen grains from 'thrum' flowers were bigger when coming from plants growing in natural populations (t_E = 2.784 for the critical Test value _α=005 = 2.001)