Abstract: Testosterone, a steroidal sex hormone, was determined in petal, anther, pistil and pollen of Lilium davidii, using a highly sensitive and specific enzyme linked immunosotvent assay (ELISA), and found to be present at levels of ng/g dry wt. In anther of lily, the level of testosterone increased during anther development, reached maximum at anthesis. After pollen shedding, testosterone rapidly decreased. No obvious changes of testosterone were observed with development of pistil and petal.Lily expresses gametophytic self-incompatibility. The levels of testosterone showed little difference in pistil, either after bud pollination, or self pollination. After hydration, the contents of testosterone in pollen slightly decreased. It rapidly decreased in pollen tube during germination at the first 3 h, but very little amount was found in germination medium. These results suggest that testosterone is associated with development and ripening of male gametophyte and pollen germination, but no sign indicates its participation in the process of self-incompatibility.

Key words: Testosterone, Enzyme linked immunosolvent assay, Pollen, Pollination, Lily