Everything about Hand Pollination totally explained
Hand pollination (also called "mechanical pollination") is a technique used when natural, or
open pollination is insufficient or undesirable. The most common techniques are for crops such as
cucurbits, which may exhibit poor pollination by
fruit abortion, fruit deformity or poor maturation. Hand pollination is only an option on a small scale, but is a common technique by gardeners who transfer pollen with an artist brush or cotton swab. Sometimes the
corolla is removed from male
flowers and the flower itself is brushed against the
stigmas of female flowers.
Hand pollination can be the simple act of shaking, with tomatoes and other self fertile flowers. Tomatoes grown in greenhouses generally need aid in pollination, and this has been done by hand or with an electric vibrator for a long time. Recently it has been mostly supplanted by cultured
bumblebees.
When pollination is needed on a large scale, such as for field crops, orchards or commercial seed production,
honeybees or other pollinators are cultured and provided for
pollination management.
The primary reason for hand pollination is lack of
pollinators which may be due to crops being moved from home areas (as in
vanilla beans) without also taking the natural pollinator.
Pollinator decline or the concentrated pollination needs of
monoculture may also be factors in pollination shortage.
Another reason for hand pollination is in order to control the parents of the seed to be produced. For example, all
F1 hybrids are the result of pollinating one specific variety with another specific variety, in order to produce a uniform crop.
For pest prevention with some high-value crops, row covers of mesh are used to prevent pest insects from access to the plants. However, this may necessitate hand pollination when bloom starts.
Hand pollination is used with
date palms to avoid wasting a lot of space and energy growing sufficient male plants for adequate natural pollination.
Variable techniques for hand pollination have arisen for many specialty crops.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hand Pollination'.
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