A COMPARISON OF POLLEN APPLICATION METHODS FOR THE ARTIFICIAL POLLINATION OF KIWIFRUIT

Flowering kiwifruit laterals (cv Hayward) were enclosed in terylene sleeves to exclude both insect and wind carried pollen from staminate vines.
When flowers were fully open, freshly harvested staminate pollen was applied by hand, or via a mechanical puffer gun after dilution with talc.
Pollen was also suspended in an aqueous medium and applied either by a hand-operated pressure sprayer or by a pressurised boom sprayer using compressed air.
Each application system was monitored by taking pollen samples for in vitro germination tests in liquid culture.
Stigma-styles from treated flowers were harvested one and 24 hours after pollination and the number of staminate pollen grains on the stigmatic surface and the number of pollen tubes that penetrated the style was determined.
At maturity, fruit were harvested, weighed and the number of seeds in each was counted.

Treatment of pollen with aqueous medium did not impair pollen viability or pollen tube growth in the style.
The major limitation associated with all pollination methods was insufficient pollen grains captured on stigmatic surfaces and, as a result, few fruit attained export weight.

Fruit Set and Development, XXI IHC

M.E. Hopping, N.J.A. Hacking

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1983.139.5