Using RNA-seq to characterize pollen-stigma interactions for pollination studies

By combining the genotyping data, the differential expression analysis, and the traditional fruit set field experiments, it was possible to evaluate the pollination effectiveness of honeybee visits under orchards conditions. This is the first time that pollen-stigma-style mRNA expression analysis has been conducted after a pollinator visit (honeybee) to a plant (in vivo apple flowers). This study provides evidence that mRNA sequencing can be used to address complex questions related to stigma-pollen interactions over time in pollination ecology.