The Latest Tutorial on Manual Assisted Pollination Techniques for Melons

In melon cultivation, to improve fruit set rate and pollination quality, manual assisted pollination is used in most cases to achieve the goal of increasing yield. So how should manual assisted pollination be carried out for melons? Follow along with the editor to see the detailed introduction.

1. Selection of the node for fruit setting

When planting melons, fruit is generally kept on secondary vines or tertiary vines, and fruit is generally not kept on the main vine. There are two pruning methods: single-vine and double-vine, and the nodes at which fruit is kept differ between the two pruning methods. For early-maturing varieties with single-vine pruning, it is generally suitable to keep fruit at nodes 9-13, while for early and late-maturing varieties, nodes 12-16 are suitable; for double-vine pruning, the fruit-bearing nodes on the secondary vines are consistent with those of single-vine pruning.

2. Pollination time

The pollination time for melons is generally chosen between 7-10 a.m., because this is when the female flower stigmas and male flower pollen are most active, and pollination at this time helps improve the fertilization rate. Generally, it is best to complete all pollination of melons in the same field within one week. Only when pollination is completed in the same cycle will it be convenient for management and harvesting during the fruiting period later, avoiding inconsistent ripening times that make management more chaotic.

3. Manual pollination

Choose male flowers that open on the same day, pick them, remove the petals to expose the stamens, then gently smear the stamens onto the stigma, generally the stamens of each male flower can pollinate 2-3 female flowers. You can also collect the pollen of the male flowers in a container in advance, then at the best pollination time use a cotton swab to dip the pollen and smear it on the stigma to complete pollination.

4. Precautions

When pollinating, note that it is not suitable to pollinate in cloudy and rainy weather, to avoid affecting pollination quality. If it rains during pollination, you can put a paper bag over the flower and remove it three days after pollination. If it is showery weather, pollinate 2 hours after the rain. If cloudy and rainy weather occurs within 3 hours after pollination, pollinate once again as a supplement. After pollination, mark it well to avoid repeated pollination. It can also help determine the ripening period, which is beneficial for harvesting.

The above is an introduction to manual assisted pollination techniques for melons. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.