Supplementary pollination of tree fruits

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Abstract
Successful spray pollination of kiwifruit depends largely on maintaining pollen viability in aqueous suspensions and during drying of spray droplets on stigmas of open flowers. A medium composed of calcium, boron, and carboxymethyl cellulose (designated as CBC) with added gum acacia maintained pollen viability for up to 3 h in suspension and gave partial protection when pollen was dried on filter paper at 25°C and 60% RH for 1 h. Pollen germination was not influenced by medium pH but pollen tube growth was inhibited below pH 5.0. Pollen from early flowering staminate clones could be suspended directly in the CBC-gum acacia medium without prior pollen hydration provided that the water used for medium preparation was free of inhibitory ions. Viable pollen suspended in CBC plus gum acacia or in CBC plus pentaerythritol and sprayed on to receptive flowers, increased seed numbers per fruit. For either medium, the minimum pollen concentration needed to increase fruit size was 0.5 g of pollen per litre.

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