Artificial Pollination: Introduction, Types, Methods, Advantages

We are all aware that insects, birds, animals, water, and wind are the primary pollinators. Fruit set, seed production, and herbivore resistance are all impacted by insufficient pollination. Due to the lack of outcrossing options, this is the case. Humans use artificial pollination to counteract these consequences. We pollinate plants using mechanical methods in this procedure. We don't require any insects or weather-related elements for this form of pollination.

The use of this approach is crucial since there are frequently insufficient pollinators and occasionally it is dangerous to introduce new ones. It is thought that this method can replace natural pollination.

Process of Artificial Pollination

In this technique of pollination, we transport pollen or plant sperm mechanically from one flower to another flower. Because of this, the ovaries can be fertilised by the pollen, which then produces seeds that grow into fruits and new plants.

Artificial pollination is becoming popular now that bee populations are declining. If we use China as an example, all plant pollination takes place artificially. Thus, it is clear that artificial pollination has advantages.

Method Involved in Artificial Pollination

Artificial pollination involves various different techniques. Following is a list of some of them:

Method I

The majority of plants that adopt this approach are vegetables since they have distinct male and female components. We take the male flowers and cut off their petals for this procedure. To prevent pollen transfer to the fingers during this procedure, avoid contacting the stamen. The next step is to look for a female flower that has bloomed and pushed back its petals.

Then, in order to transport the pollen from the stamens of the male flower to the stigma of the female flower and enable pollination, we must roll the two smoothly and gently.

Method II

To gather as many pollen grains as possible, we can move cotton over the stamens of male flowers. After then, the pollen is discharged across the female flower's stigma.

Method III

This technique is primarily suitable to plants like tomatoes, beans, peppers, etc. that self-pollinate. In this technique, fans are positioned above the branches to gently shake the stems, causing pollen grains to land on the stigma.

Reason

The lack of pollinators, the aim to prevent cross-pollination between species planted side by side, and the goal to produce certain hybrids are all good reasons to employ this tactic.

Vanilla plants, for example, are transported to places in which their natural pollinator doesn't really exist, or plants are cultivated in plants, urban settings, underneath a cover to kill insects, where natural pollinators cannot reach them. Pollinator decline, as well as monoculture's concentrated pollination requirements, can all be contributing factors.

However, these are not the only justifications for manual pollination, and several methods have been created for a wide range of specialised crops. With date palms, for instance, hand pollination is used to avoid wasting space and resources on growing enough male plants to assure enough natural pollination. Hand-pollination is only an option on a small scale because to the labor-intensive process, and it is typically used by small market gardeners and people with a few plants. A more effective strategy for managing pollination on large-scale operations like field crops, orchards, or commercial seed production is to use honeybees or other pollinators.

Even after the above, manual pollination is a fairly typical agricultural practise. Pears started growing in Hanyuan County, China, have required hand pollination since the 1980s because other varieties that flower at different times of the year cannot pollinate them. Additionally, lice infestation requires use of multiple insecticide sprays, which makes local beekeepers unwilling to lend there own beehives to the farmers.

Stages of Artificial Pollination

1. Different plants are used to choose the male and female blooms. The pollinating insects can be kept away by covering the blossoms.

2. Use one of the artificial ways to pollinate the flowers once they have reached sexual maturity.

3. To make sure the pollen has adhered to the pistil of the female flower, gently brush it against the stamens and blow on it.

4.Until the fruit begins to form, re-cover the fertilised bloom.

In this way, we can artificially pollinate the flowers to produce fruits.

Advantages of Artificial Pollination

• The benefits of artificial pollination are numerous. Below is a list of a few of them

• Artificial pollination can improve the size and quantity of seeds in the fruit.

• It has the capacity to transform blossoms into fruits for export.

• It is more appropriate because it is independent of random variables.

• This sort of pollination allows us to create a wide range of hybrid plants.

Artificial Pollination Disadvantages

The main drawbacks of artificial pollination include the time commitment and the uncertainty of fertilisation. Staff members may need to undergo extensive training in artificial pollination. For instance, growers of vanilla have an eight to twelve-hour window following flowering during which to pollinate flowers. The flower will wilt and die without developing a pod once this time has passed or if the worker is ineffective in delivering the pollen package.

Uses of Artificial Pollination

As the number of natural pollinators has declined, artificial pollination has become more common. One of the most important natural pollinators is the honey bee. However, the natural numbers of honey bees are in decline as a result of human activity in the ecosystem. 60% of the American bee population has disappeared since 1947. This is really concerning since bees pollinate one-third of the agricultural crops we depend on. Additionally, bees aid in cross-pollination between various species, increasing the genetic diversity of crops.

Genetic diversity is crucial because it boosts biodiversity, which enhances ecological homeostasis and protects crops from infectious diseases. The genetic diversity of crops is not increased as much by artificial pollination as it is by natural pollination. However, notwithstanding any risks or disadvantages, artificial pollination is becoming necessary because to the loss in natural pollinators.

Types of Artificial Pollination

Depending on the techniques utilised, artificial pollination can happen in many ways. Artificial pollination can be divided into two basic categories:

• Hand pollination

• Mechanical pollination

Each artificial pollination technique has advantages and disadvantages of its own.

Hand Pollination

By physically moving pollen from the stamen of one plant to the pistil of another, this method of pollination is carried out. The plant from which the pollen is collected is referred to as the pollen donor or pollen parent, and the plant from which the pollen is received as the seed parent.

In addition to shaking flowers in the case of bisexual flowers, such as tomatoes, hand-pollination can also be accomplished by plucking the petals from a male flower and brushing them against the stigmas of female flowers. Plants like orchids, where the pollen is concentrated into a mass termed the pollinium, are an exception. In this instance, a tiny object is used, and the pollinia will adhere to it.

Mechanical Pollination

The practise of dispersing pollen across vast fields of crops using blowers or tiny aeroplanes is known as mechanical pollination, sometimes known as pollen dusting. This could appear to be more effective than transferring pollen directly from one flower to another, yet natural pollination is surprisingly more effective. First, bees pollinate crops by moving pollen from one bloom to another throughout the day on many days of the year.

The dusting happens all at once during mechanical pollination. Once the area has been dusted, the aircraft or blower stops. Scientists have demonstrated that the fruit yield for pollen dusting is far lower than that of insect pollination, and the possibility of reaching all the crops that can be pollinated is much lower.

Additionally, mechanical pollination only disperses pollen throughout the atmosphere. While some may land on a flower's ovaries, the majority will fall to the ground, leaves, or petals. Bees carry pollen directly from one flower to another flower's reproductive system. Basically, bees are far more exact in their pollination, so a greater percentage of flowers will be fertilised.

This procedure is also expensive. In comparison to allowing the ecosystem to take control, using machinery to spread the pollen and labour costs far more money. Honeybees that live in the wild work for no pay pollinating crops. Pollen dusting is substantially more expensive than even farming honeybees. The expense of maintenance is low because the hive and bees are inexpensive to purchase.

Conclusion

Pollination is the process by which pollen is transported through one location to another. Typically, this process is carried out by agents such as birds, insect pests, water, wind, & seed generation, among many others. When these agents really aren't present, artificial pollination methods have been employed form of pollination involves manual process transferring pollen as from stamen with one plant to the pistil of some other plant, which is done by hand. The pollen donor as well as pollen parent is the plant wherein the pollen is harvested, and the seed parent is the plant from which pollen is received.