Drug encyclopedia

Controlled hand pollination is composed of 2 simple steps : picking up pollen from the anthers of the staminate parent and applying pollen to the receptive stigmatic surfaces of the pistillate parent. Both steps are conscientiously con trolled so that no pollen escapes to cause random pollinations. Since cannabis is a wind-pollinated species, enclosures are employed which isolate the ripe flowers from wind, dumping pollination, yet permitting enough light penetration and air movement for the pollen and seeds to develop without suffocating. Paper and really firmly woven fabric appear to be the best materials. Coarse fabric permits pollen to flee and plastic materials have a tendency to collect transpired water and rot the flowers. Light-colored opaque or transparent reflective materials remain cooler in the sunshine than dark or clear materials, which either absorb solar heat immediately or make a greenhouse effect, heating the flowers within and murdering the pollen. Pollination bags are simply assembled by gluing together plant parchment ( a powerful breathable paper for steaming plants ) and clear nylon cooker bags ( for observation windows ) with silicon glue. Breathable man-made fabrics like Gore-Tex are used with success. Seed production needs both successful pollination and fertilization, so that the conditions within the enclosures must stay acceptable for pollen-tube expansion and fertilization. It is most convenient and effective to use the same enclosure to gather pollen and use it, reducing contamination during pollen transfer.

Controlled “free ” pollinations can also be made if only one pollen parent is permitted to remain in an isolated area of the field and no pollinations spring from hermaphrodites or late-maturing staminate plants. If the selected staminate parent drops pollen when there are just a few primordial flowers on the pistillate seed parent, then some seeds will form in the fundamental flowers and the remainder of the flower cluster will be seedless. Early fertilization might also help fix the sex of the pistillate plant, helping to forestall hermaphrodism. Later on hand pollinations can be performed on the same pistillate parent by removing the early seeds from each limb to be re-pollinated, so avoiding perplexity. Hermaphrodite or monoecious plants could be insulated from what’s left of the population and permitted to unreservedly self-pollinate if pure-breeding offspring are desired to save a selected trait. Selfed hermaphrodites often cause hermaphrodite offspring. Pollen might be picked up in many ways. If the propagator has an isolated area where staminate plants can grow separate from one another to avoid mutual contamination and can be permitted to lose pollen without risking the rest of the population, then direct collection could be used.

A little vial, glass plate, or mirror is held underneath a recently-opened staminate flower which seems to be releasing pollen, and the pollen is dislodged by tap ping the anthers. Pollen can be picked up by placing full limbs or bunches of staminate flowers on a bit of paper or glass and permitting them to dry in a cool, still place. Pollen will drop from some of the anthers as they dry, and this is going to be scraped up and stored for a short while in a cool, dark, dry spot. An easy methodology is to put the open pollen vial or folded paper in a bigger sealable container with 12 or even more fresh, dry soda crackers or a cup of dry white rice. The sealed container is stored in the chiller and the dry crackers or rice act as a desiccant, soaking up moisture from the pollen. Any breeze may meddle with collection and cause contamination with pollen from neighboring plants. Early morning is the best time to gather pollen, as it’s not received exposure to the heat of the day. All hardware used for collection, including hands, must be cleaned before continuing to the following pollen source. This guarantees protection of each pollen sample from contamination with pollen from different plants.

Staminate flowers will often open a couple of hours before the beginning of pollen release. If flowers are picked up at this time they can be placed in a covered bottle where they’re going to open and release pollen inside a couple of days. A rigorously sealed paper cover permits air movement, helps the releasing of pollen, and hinders mold. Each of the formerly described techniques of pollen collection are at the mercy of gusts of wind, that may cause contamination issues if the staminate pollen plants grow at all near to the remaining pistillate plants. There fore, a strategy has been designed so that controlled pollen collection and application can be performed in the same area without the necessity to move staminate plants from their original location.