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Collect flowers from the male parent to extract
pollen. The best time for pollen collection is during the early
morning before the pollen has been shed. Avoid pollen collection
on rainy days. |
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Remove the anther cones from the flowers and
put them in glassine envelopes. |
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Dry the anther containers by placing them
30 cm below a 100-watt lamp for 24 hours. The lamp creates a
drying temperature of about 30ºC. Pollen can also be sun-dried. |
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Put the dried anther cones in a plastic pan
or cup. Cover the cup with a fine mesh screen (200-300 mesh)
and then seal it with a similar tight-fitting cup, serving as
a lid. |
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Shake the cup about 10-20 times so that the
pollen is collected in the “lid” cup. |
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Transfer the pollen into a small convenient-to-handle
container for pollination. Fresh pollen is best for good fruit-set.
It can be kept for one day at moderate room temperature.
When weather conditions are not suitable for pollination, dried
or dehydrated pollen can be stored in a sealed container (capsule
or vial) and kept in the freezer for about a month. Without freezing,
the pollen can be kept in an ordinary refrigerator for 2-3 days
without any significant loss in viability.
The pollen should be taken from the freezer and kept closed until
the container warms to room temperature. This will prevent the
pollen from getting wet due to condensation. |
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