ISHS Acta Horticulturae 470: II International Symposium on Pistachios and Almonds
MEASURES OF POLLEN QUALITY |
| Author: | Thomas E. Ferrari |
| Keywords: | Pollen, Pollination |
| Abstract:
Precollected pollen dispersed onto honey bees has the potential to mitigate the effects of adverse pollination conditions in almond orchards. Commercially available pollen preparations contained varying quantities of impurities and less than 20% pollen. Qualitative differences were also detected among them in the ability of pollen tubes to penetrate a stigma. Percent viability did not evaluate the impact inactive ingredients had on the number of pollen grains per unit of weight; or assess presence of a functional pollen-stigma binding mechanism, which is necessary for growth of the germ tube through the pistil. Additional measures of pollen quality include: free pollen per gram (FPPG), viable pollens per gram (VPPG) and pollen tubes per stigma (PTPS). These assays improve assessment of a commercial preparation's suitability for supplemental pollination. | |
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