Detailed Tutorial on Artificial Pollination Techniques and Methods for Apples

Apple is a major fruit tree cultivated in China, and China is a major apple-producing country every year. When planting apple trees, because apples have poor self-pollination ability, growers who plant apples need to strengthen pollination work for apples in order to obtain high yields. So how are apples artificially pollinated? Let's take a look together.

1. Selecting Varieties and Collecting Flowers

Before pollination, first select a variety with strong compatibility with the main cultivated variety as the flower-collecting pollination variety. The plants from which flowers are collected are required to have a large number of flowers and be at the initial flowering stage. The flower collection time is generally 2-3 days before pollination, collecting bell-shaped flowers or newly opened flowers, mainly side flowers. After the flowers are collected, do not pile them together, so as to avoid excessive respiration leading to rot. When extracting pollen, rub two flowers against each other, keep the anthers, remove impurities, then spread the anthers on paper and place them on a heated kang at 20-30 degrees to bake. Wait for them to split open, then take out the pollen. The pollen can be placed in a desiccator or a container with quicklime, or stored in a refrigerator or cold storage.

2. Point Pollination Method

When more than half of the central flowers on the apple tree have opened, point pollination can be carried out on the same day. The tools for point pollination can be a writing brush, rubber pencil, cigarette filter, etc. Mix the prepared pollen with 3-5 times its amount of talcum powder or starch as a filler, then use a tool to dip the pollen and pollinate each flower one by one. It should be noted that when pollinating, the central flowers of side and lower inflorescences should be point-pollinated, and too many flowers should not be point-pollinated on the terminal flowers of medium and short branches on one shoot.

3. Powder Spraying Method

Although the point pollination method has a high fruit-setting rate, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive and is not suitable for large orchards, so the powder spraying method emerged. Add apple pollen to 10-50 times its amount of talcum powder or starch, and stir evenly. Use powder spraying tools to spray already opened flowers, but it should be noted that windy weather should be avoided.

4. Spraying Method

In addition to the powder spraying method, there is also a spraying method. Pollen, sucrose and borax are mixed in a certain proportion into a suspended aqueous solution. The proportion is generally 5 kg of water, 15 g of urea, 15 g of borax, 250 g of sucrose, and 15-20 g of dry pollen. When more than half of the fruit trees in the orchard have central flowers open, that is the best pollination time. The spraying method can be carried out for three consecutive days, once a day, mixing as you spray.

The above is an introduction to artificial pollination techniques for apples. I hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.