Based on papers presented at the International Symposium on Sexual Reproduction in Higher Plants, this volume covers the topics: micro- and macrosporogenesis, the activation and recognition of mature pollen, pollen germination and tube emission in vivo and in vitro, pollen and pollen tube cytoskeleton, stigma and style morphology, pollen/stigma interactions, incompatibility mechanisms and gene expression. The reinvestigation of classical topics using modern methods such as immunofluorescence, micromanipulation, freeze-substitution, electron microscopy, etc., is the common basis of all results presented. Especially applied aspects of sexual reproduction important e.g. for crop improvement, are discussed in detail.