Artificial pollination is the type of pollination carried out by humans. It is a mechanical technique used to pollinate plants when natural pollination is insufficient or undesirable. It does not require the help of insects or weather. There are times when natural pollinators are not present and also their introduction might be risky, then alternative methods of pollination such as artificial pollination are implied.
Methods of Artificial Pollination
Method I
This type of pollination is for the vegetable plants with male and female parts on separate plants.
- Take a male flower and remove its petals.
- Try not to touch the stamens to avoid the pollen transfer to your fingers.
- Find a blooming female flower with its petals pushed back.
- Touch the stamens of the male flower to the stigma of the female flower and roll over it gently.
- The pollen will be transferred to the stigma and pollination will occur.
Method II
- Move cotton over the stamens of a male flower to gather as much pollen grains as possible.
- Shed the collected pollen on the stigma of a female flower.
Method III
This method is applicable to self-pollinating plants such as tomatoes, beans, pepper, etc. Either a fan is set up or the branches are shaken to shed the pollen from the stamen to the stigma.
Also read: Types of Pollination
Stages of Artificial Pollination
- The male and female flowers are chosen from different plants. Cover the flowers to keep off the pollinating insects.
- After the flowers are sexually mature, pollinate them by one of the artificial methods.
- Gently rub the pistil of the female flower to the stamens and blow on it to ensure that the pollen has stuck over it.
- Cover the fertilized flower again until the fruit starts forming.
This is how we can obtain fruits by artificially pollinating the flowers.
Also read: Artificial Hybridization in Plants
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How to know when the female flowers are mature?